Late for School
by Archie Leach
Summary: A 30-something single doctor with photographic memory finds himself at Hogwarts as a first year.
1. Chapter 1 A Day in the Life

Late for School Chapter 1 By Archie Leach 

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_Disclaimer: The characters are Rowling's. Zack and the plot are mine. No money is being made._

* * *

  
_ "The time we have been waiting for fast approaches," an unseen male speaker said in a voice like ice water, "In less than one month the seal will be broken and my task will begin in earnest." _

"But what about the…the descendant," a tentative voice said. "How will we handle him?" 

"A Muggle…he will be easy enough to handle. I saw to that many years ago." 

"What about the Brotherhood?" 

"The brotherhood is a myth," he snapped. "My destiny is at hand, nothing will stop me. My father will live again!" 

  


* * *

  
Zack woke with a start. 

_Coffee…I need coffee._

Bleary eyed, Zack awoke to his alarm clock licking his face, which hurt, since the tongue felt like medium grit sandpaper. 

"Okay Russell, I know it's time to get up". 

"Mrreeoowww!" 

"I mean time to feed you, of course." 

He set off to the kitchen, not so much as a kitchen as a place to keep the small refrigerator. He grabbed a can of cat food and opened it. The aroma of this particular variety was pungent, but Russell loved it…as the twining between Zack's legs and audible purring from the floor indicated. 

"Damn, I forgot again!" Zack exclaimed, looking at an empty coffee pot, "Well, that's just great. I've got a craniosynostosis and a cleft palate today." The cat was unperturbed by his outburst. 

Throwing off his bedclothes, he quickly headed to the shower. One thing was for certain, a bedsit surely was convenient -- bed to kitchen to shower in less than 30 steps. He turned on the water and stood in the warm spray for a moment, then quickly soaped his body and shampooed his hair. He started to rinse off. 

"Damn, the hot water's gone again…how typical." Rinsing off quickly, he was glad it was August. 

Drying off, he noticed the time, swore, threw on his scrubs, and grabbed his keys. The ride to work would dry his hair, he thought, and it gave him that "genius hair" or "mental patient hair" depending on one's point of view. He knew he should wear his helmet, but brushed the thought aside as he reached his bike. He loved his Harley -- an XL 1200 Sportster, not only was it fun to ride, his parents hated it. Not that a soon-to-be 33 year-old really cared about his parents' opinions anymore, except that he did. 

He revved the bike up and put on his shades. _Boy, the sun sure was bright for Oxford,_ he thought. He eased onto the street and headed once again to the Oxford Craniofacial Unit based within the Radcliffe Infirmary Hospital. He was lucky, he guessed, that after graduating from Oxford Medical School that he had been offered a position just down the road -- he didn't even have to move. Still, he missed Kansas City sometimes, especially during football season. He bemoaned the lack of information on his favorite football team, the Chiefs. That was "real" football not soccer, though to be honest he enjoyed playing soccer in high school. 

He pulled into the hospital's parking garage and checked his watch -- it was 8:10 am. The surgery was at 8:30 am so he had time to get a swallow or two of coffee. 

"Hey, Zack, running late again?" a 30-something, redhead shouted across the parking lot. 

"Sure am, what else is new? How was your shift, Priscilla?" Zack answered, glad that he actually remembered her name. 

"Not bad, I guess, two motorcycle accidents though. No helmet for the first guy, very messy, lots of good organs though. Second bloke will be fine, broken tibia, 40 stitches." She looked pointedly at his bike and at his "wild hair" and slowly shook her head slowly side-to-side. 

Zack wanted to believe she was just teasing him and decided to ignore her. He was always amazed at the matter-of-fact way ER doctors could talk about their work. "Nice to see you, I gotta go -- any coffee at reception?" 

"You are kidding, right?" She answered amusedly. 

Boy, the day was just getting better. "Take care. Tell, Jack I said hey." 

"Alright then, I'll tell John you said hello. Take care…and wear a helmet." 

_Well, I gave it shot._ He glanced at his watch, 8:17 am. He walked quickly over the vending machines, bought a coke, and a Snickers candy bar. He wolfed down the candy bar and then downed the soda in two gulps. His eyes teared from the cold and the carbonation, but he needed it. A long satisfactory belch later, he was ready to face the day. 

"That was barbaric, Dr. Flood," said a young raven-haired nurse. "What if there had been patients in the waiting room?" 

"I checked first," he protested and then winked. "Anyway, I'm in surgery today, and I need a good breakfast." 

"But that was nothing like a good breakfast," she chastised. 

"I'd love to chat, but I have to run." He moved quickly away down the beige hallway, following the green stripe on the floor. 

He entered the pre-op area with only a couple of minutes to scrub. As much as he did this, he never could get used to the antiseptic smell of the chlorhexidine. He saw a nurse entering the room. 

"Hey Lois," he said sheepishly. She only nodded in reply and helped him with his gloves and surgical garb 

"I lost five bucks on you," she complained. "I bet you'd be late again." 

"Oh well, life has its little disappointments." 

"Hey team," he said as he entered the operating room. A few mumbled greetings and they went to work. While they prepped the patient, he thought back on the events leading up to this surgery. 

His patient was a three-year old boy named Winston Blackmore. Winston's mother had brought him in after he had fallen down and hit his head, causing a strange swelling around the forehead. It was a good thing she did, and it was fortunate that Zack was on duty. As a trained maxillofacial surgeon, he was more sensitive to abnormalities of the skull, and he noticed the early stages of craniofacial synostosis upon examining the boy. Left untreated, it could lead to mental retardation and/or physical deformities. Zack had done this type of surgery several times and was considered an expert in this field. Still, Winston's parents were very nervous, but he was confident that their son would be fine. He always felt more pressure operating on children, as the patient had barely yet to live. 

Going over the operation in his head he knew that in this particular instance he needed to remove segments of bone from the skull and then reshape the segments and change their position in such a way as to encourage reliable healing of the bone and thus the soft tissue. He started the procedure, and in his head he saw the following: 

_ "In the anterior synostoses (namely metopic, bicoronal and unicoronal synostosis) the aim is to recreate a symmetrical forehead and orbital rim and to "release" the area of the involved suture and there by allow more normal growth of the skull. The mainstay of this type of surgery is the "fronto orbital advancement and remodelling" procedure whereby the upper aspects of the orbits are freed and advanced unilaterally or bilaterally as appropriate and a more symmetrical forehead is reshaped from the existing or adjacent bone." _

Photographic memory came in handy, he thought. Zack knew this was the exact passage in the textbook that he had studied four years ago. Reflecting on this ability, he knew his photographic memory was extraordinary -- he researched it while in high school and found no instances of the seemingly perfect photographic memory he possessed. He brushed those thoughts aside and refocused his efforts back on his small patient. Several hours later, Zack, happy with the results of the surgery, went out and told the parents that little Winston would be fine. 

As it turned out, his cleft palate that afternoon had been rescheduled and he'd get to go early. 

Perhaps this day wasn't so bad after all, he mused. 

On his way out the receptionist stopped him, "Excuse me, Dr. Flood, your mother called." 

"What did she say?" 

"She said not to forget Bethie's birthday party tomorrow. It starts at 6:00 pm." The receptionist then added, "She said to remind you that Bethie will be 11." 

"I knew that, but thanks for the information anyway, Linda," he answered, not too convincingly. 

_Damn, I thought it was next week._ Oh well, at least he would have time to get her a present. 

He knew exactly what to get her but first he needed to go to Judo practice and get a workout in. He liked Judo, if for no other reason than it being a physical outlet from the mental focus he kept all day long. It had been over two weeks since he'd been back and he was worried about possible consequences for his seeming apathy. Trying not to think on it, he went home and grabbed his ghi and a swimsuit. 

After being thrown to the mat for the fifth time, he swore he'd never miss two weeks in a row again. Of course, his Sensei was a fourth degree black belt and he was just a brown belt plus the teacher obviously felt he needed some reinforcement. 

"Oooommmphh", Zack moaned, "that was a nice _O Goshi_ Sensei McGonagall." 

"Thank you so much for that assessment Mr. Flood, perhaps if you showed up once in awhile you might be able to block that maneuver," the teacher complained. "However, given your lack of dedication you did surprisingly well," he added. 

Even though he was sore, he was grateful that the very first thing Judo teaches is how to fall properly—that saved his behind tonight. He knew a good stretch was in order, and swimming a few laps wouldn't hurt either, and, with that thought in mind, he headed towards the locker room. He finished up a little while later and decided to go buy Bethie's present. 

He hoped that Mike Wheeler Motorcycles Ltd. would have motorcycle helmets for kids. It was definitely geared to adults, but he knew Mike never passed up a chance to make a little extra money. Mike's store billed itself as having "a great selection of super-bikes" with plenty in stock. He also offered servicing, repairs, and spare bikes. It was in no way pretentious, which was a definite selling point for Zack. He hoped that Bethie would be surprised -- she had a knack for reading his mind. Of course, he should pick up a back up gift because he couldn't give her the helmet in front of her parents. A new bicycle helmet should fit the bill. Zack remembered that Mike carried those too. 

"Hey, Mike, how's business?" Zack inquired as he took off his shades and put them in his shirt pocket. He noticed that there were no other customers in the store, but reminded himself that it was before 5 pm on a Wednesday. 

"Could complain, but who'd listen, ay?" Mike answered with a snicker. "What d'ya need?" 

"I need a motorcycle helmet for a young girl about 11." 

"That's too young, mate. I know you can do better." 

"Don't be obscene Mike. It's for my cousin Bethie; you know her." 

"Just kiddin' ya mate, o'course I remember her. She's 11 now? Boy, where's the time go? She was in here with yer Mum musta been 5 years ago to get a bicycle," Mike mused. "But I'm sorry to say that I dun have any. The last shipment had all the wrong labels in'em and I had to send em back." 

"Anyplace else around here I could go?" 

"Not around here, I'm the only one to carry kids stuff -- not much call fer it. I s'pose you could go to London but by the time you get there traffic would be a mess," Mike offered. 

"How about a bicycle helmet?" Zack inquired. 

"Sure I got some of those, but you know those aren't safe for motorcycles," Mike lectured. 

"Oh, I know that I just need to get her something for her birthday," Zack explained. 

Zack then bought a purple and pink helmet and proceeded to his parent's house for a bite to eat…unannounced, of course. 

  


* * *

  
Zack was in an odd mood motoring over to his parent's house at Berry Lane, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire WD3. Maybe it was the workout maybe not, but his mind was working overtime. Why was he so…so…bored? Maybe bored was the wrong word but there was something missing. He liked being a surgeon and saving people's lives, but that didn't seem to be enough. It had been several months since he had a date, but while a little pathetic, he admitted to himself, that wasn't it either. He also hadn't seen his friends for a while, and he remembered suddenly that today was Wednesday and Barney and Mick would be at the King's Arms. _I should go and see them; maybe that would cheer me up._

"Fuck it, it's a nice day, I'm on my Harley…and I'm talking to myself," Zack finished with a shake of his head. 

Still it was nice to get his bike out on a decent trip, 50 km wasn't far but it was a goodly enough distance to open it up a little. All too soon the ride was over and he approached Rickmansworth. It never ceased to amaze him the money that existed in this neighborhood. His parents could afford to live here for two reasons: his dad was a well-respected doctor and both his parents came from well-to-do families. 

He pulled into the driveway and saw his mom outside trimming her beloved roses. 

"Hi, Mom!" he said, walking over to her. 

"This is a nice surprise," she started then stopped. "You know the birthday party is tomorrow… and it's not even here, it's at your Aunt's house." 

She put some clippings in a bucket and took off her garden gloves. She reached him brushed back her blondish grey hair and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Just past 60 years old, his mother didn't look much over 50. She still stood straight and tall and measured every bit of her height of 5 foot 9 inches. She was thin, but strong, and her skin tone was a sun-touched cream color. 

"Gee, Mom it's good to see you too… and I'm not _that_ absent-minded," he asserted. 

She seemed to ignore his protest. "Good, you got my phone call. You know Bethie would be heartbroken if you missed it," she gently chided. 

"I did get your phone call, but I already knew." 

"Is that why there is a box on your bike labeled girl's bicycle helmet?" She looked at him with raised eyebrows and crossed arms. 

"Well, alright you got me. But I know I can always count on you to remind me of these things," he ended lamely. 

"I never have been able to figure out how you can read something and it stays in your mind forever, but if I tell you something you're suddenly the absent-minded professor? Do you remember the time you forgot your own birthday party?" 

"I'm sure that happens to lots of people," he said as his face started turning pink. 

She laughed and said, "You know I love you anyway." 

"I love you too Mom …even when you are giving me a hard time." 

She approached him and slid her right arm to lock with his left, "You know it is good to see you, honey," she said as they walked towards the front door. "Your father is cooking his famous chicken fried steak tonight. You know it's not too late to make your escape," she said while reaching for the door. 

"What and miss all that cholesterol and saturated fats? Never. You know, doctors often have the worst dietary habits," he said, winking at her and smiling. 

The house was artfully arranged in what could best be described as Celtic meets English Country house. Manor house sofas with Celtic braided throws were situated in different rooms, Irish braid design area rugs were scattered around the dark oak hardwood floors, and many nick-naks rested on every available . The house was full of books, some old, some new, and some very old. Zack could smell the grease and flour in the air and he could hear his dad humming, Bach was it? 

"Erina, is that you? Would you mind heading to the cellar for some wine?" a voice called from the kitchen. 

"Yes, it's me Richard; I have a visitor in tow," she answered. 

"Oh, would that be our erstwhile son?" his father said, walking out of the kitchen. 

"Hi dad, you must have know I was coming…chicken fried steak. What's the occasion?" Zack asked. 

"No occasion, just haven't had it in awhile," he answered, eyeing Zack's appearance. "I tried calling over to the hospital to invite you, but they said you left early…you look awful," he added critically. 

"Gee thanks, nice to see you too." 

"Of course it's nice to see you, but you need to take better care of yourself," his father answered in somewhat softer tones. 

Erina interrupted them, "Zack why don't you go a pick out a nice sturdy red for dinner," guiding her son toward the back door. 

The wine cellar was only accessible from outside, so Zack headed outside and around the back of the house. 

_Hmm,_ he thought, _the wine would need to be sturdy to stand up to all that fat and beef._

He pulled up the door and rested it against the patio and went down the steps. He always liked it down here; it was his own personal Narnia. There were several rooms full of wine but a couple of cubbyholes only he knew about behind some rotted pieces of wood. His paternal grandparents owned this house when he was young, and when they visited he liked to pretend he was hiding from some horrible beast or was listening in on secret meetings. He did share his childhood secret with Bethie last year—she liked this dark, musty, spider web infested place almost as much as he did. She had good taste, he concluded. 

He looked around for the more recent reds; certainly one would not waste a good red like a Pauilliac on this meal. He selected a 2001 Australian Shiraz and started to head back to the steps, but he tripped on something and fell face-first to the floor. He was able to land on his forearms while at the some time spreading his legs, lessening the impact of the fall considerably. His Judo Sensei would be proud. While he was unharmed, the wine was not so lucky. It had broken into several pieces on the stone floor, its contents sadly sinking into the crevices. Zack picked up the larger pieces of glass and threw them into the trashcan, then grabbed a very old broom and a rusted dustpan and did the best he could to clean up the rest of the pieces. He noticed a strange thing while he was scooping up the last of the glass -- the wine was not just seeping into cracks, it was disappearing underneath a very old rug. Curious, he picked up the rug and…nothing but stone floor. 

_So where was the wine going,_ he wondered. 

"Zack, where are you? Dinner's on the table," his dad shouted. 

"I had a little accident," he called back. "A bottle of the '01 Shiraz died a nasty death". 

"A shame, but are you okay?" 

"I'm fine, just cleaning up." 

"Grab a 2002 Beaujolais, " his dad suggested. 

"Alright I'll be right up". Zack put the rug back down, shook his head, grabbed the wine and went back up the stairs. 

"Zack you better let me open that," his Mother chastised, as she took the bottle from him and into the kitchen. 

"Oh Mom, you might want to have a look at the floor in the wine cellar. It might be unstable. When I was cleaning up, I noticed the wine sinking right into the floor." 

"Probably the entrance to a secret cave…quick let's get your spelunking gear," she said sarcastically. 

"No need to be snarky about it," Zack retorted. 

"I'm sorry honey, but you know how old this house is. It's bound to have its eccentricities. I'll have a look tomorrow, just in case." 

Zack and his dad proceeded to the dining room where the natural black oak table was set for three. 

"How are things at the hospital?" his dad asked. 

"Same ole, same ole," Zack answered automatically. 

"Have you been sleeping?" His dad questioned, with a modicum of concern in his voice. 

"I'm fine, just had a rousing Judo lesson today. The sensei was my partner and he wasn't thrilled that I'd missed a couple of sessions." Zack winced and stretched his arms and cracked his neck. 

"That's Manus McGonagall isn't it? He's a good man, tough, and no nonsense. The whole family is that way. Dear, didn't you go to school with one of the McGonagalls?" his dad shouted toward the kitchen. 

"Yes, I went to primary school in Monahan, Ireland with his youngest sister Murran. That whole family was tough. Murran, being the youngest, was the nicest, but still tough." Mom was now entering the dining room with the open bottle of wine. "But the oldest daughter Minerva was definitely in charge. No one messed with her. But thankfully she went away to school and so was only home for holidays and the summer." 

"Thanks for all of that fascinating information," Zack added, rolling his eyes, "but I'm hungry." With that Zack set to it, eating with relish. He didn't cook much—the two-burner stove not being very good, so he mostly ate at pubs or took food home. 

"You certainly are talkative tonight, son" his dad chastised, after a few minutes of silence. 

"I'm sorry. My mind has been all over the place today. I'm not sure why." Zack wiped his mouth and took a long drink of wine. 

"I don't know how to say this, so I'll just dive right in." His parents exchanged concerned looks and sat up a little straighter. "Am I doing what I'm supposed to be doing…with my life, that is?" 

"Why son, I'm not sure what you mean?" his dad said while taking off his glasses and looking down at the table. 

"Zack, are you talking about your destiny?" Erina offered tentatively. 

"Yeah, I guess. I don't know really. I've just been doing some soul-searching recently and I feel kind of…lost. It's silly I know, probably just a case of the blues." Zack ended lamely, then added, "Why did you use the word 'destiny' just now?" 

"Just the first word to pop in my head, that's all," she answered quickly. "Do you think therapy might help?" His mother continued. "You know, I have several friends that are excellent therapists." 

"They're part of your Wicca group, right? No offense, but I think I'll decline. I'll be fine," he added and finished off his glass of wine. He refilled it and then sat back down. The rest of dinner was uneventful as each person stayed on safe topics of conversation. 

After they finished eating and had cleared the table his mother said, "Zack how about a nice glass of tawny in the den?" 

"No, that's okay. I promised Barney and Mick I would meet them at the King's Arms for an ale or two." 

"Dear, your Father and I would like to talk to you for a minute," she said, a hint of worry in her voice. 

"Alright," Zack answered warily. Then she and Zack walked into the den, Zack took a seat in the red leather loveseat as his mother filled three glasses with a honey colored liquid. She brought one over to Zack and took one for herself. She sat in the Queen Anne chair next to the loveseat. 

"Your Father should be here in a moment," she said drumming her fingers on the arm of the chair. 

_What is going on?_ He took a drink from the glass -- he always liked a glass of port after dinner, it was so civilized. He looked at his watch again and smiled wanly at his mother. 

"Everyone comfortable?" his father said, walking into the room. He picked up his glass of port, took a sip and sat down on the matching Queen Anne next to his wife. "Zack there is no need to look so serious," he said. 

"Then…what is this about?" Zack asked getting up and refilling his glass. 

His mom sipped from her glass and spoke. "We haven't talked to you in a long time. Frankly, we are a little worried about you. You don't seem very happy and you seem tired all the time." 

Zack looked at his parents, paused, took a sip and set the glass on the end table, next to the Tiffany lamp. "Uhh, we touched on it earlier. I feel like I'm…treading water would be an apt description." They shook their heads and his father looked like he was about to speak, "No, wait, let me think about this for a minute," Zack said. _What the hell am I going to say now?_ It was true he did feel a little down and he was tired -- he wasn't sleeping well in recent nights. "I haven't been sleeping well lately," he said finally. 

"Have you tried Melatonin, it works great for me." His father said clinically. 

"No, that's not it. I don't have trouble falling asleep. I just wake up tired. But it's not affecting my work so I'm hoping it's some kind of phase." He looked at his watch again—this was going nowhere fast. "Well, if that's all I should go, it's starting to get late and I'd like spend some time with Barney and Mick." He started to get up and they stood up as well. "Thanks for dinner -- it was great. I'll see you tomorrow night at Aunt Felecia's." 

"Um okay, it's been nice to see you. Be careful on that thing you ride. You know what we call those don't you?" His dad lectured, seemingly a little put off. 

"I know -- a heart transplant patient's dream, or something else just as morbid." Zack intoned while getting up and heading for the door. 

"Really be careful…and wear a helmet," his mother added while walking him to the door. 

"Alright I promise to wear my helmet." Zack kissed his Mom on the cheek, "Bye dad, great chicken fried steak. See you tomorrow." But he couldn't help but wonder, _why do I feel my parents are hiding something?_

  


* * *

  
Zack set off to Oxford to surprise Barney and Mick. He fibbed a little when he made it sound like they were expecting him, tonight. He did say that one day soon he would meet them for their regular Wednesday night at the King's Arms. Of course, that was over a month ago but better late than never. He started thinking back to when he first arrived in Oxford from Kansas City. He expected there to be pubs on every corner and that they would be open all night long. While there were a goodly number of pubs, they all closed at 11 pm. Most bars in the States don't even get going until near midnight. 

During his med schools days he frequented several of the pubs around town: the Grapes, the Bear (known for its many neckties on the walls, heaven knows why), the Rosie O'Grady, and the Eagle and the Child, a favorite haunt of J.R.R Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Having read the Ring trilogy and Narnia series, this was a cool place to hang out. But he liked the King's Arms the best, mostly because of the Morris Dancers, "old guys" waving handkerchiefs and prancing around with jingle bells on their ankles accompanied by accordion music. No one knew for sure, but the dance was thought to be some ancient fertility and/or good luck ritual. In any case, it was fun to see and the pub was one of the larger pubs as well, increasing one's chances of "finding some companionship." The pub had several long tables, and, if you got there early enough, you could establish yourself at a table and hopefully attract others to join you. 

He parked his bike and headed for the door. He walked in to a goodly number of students, smoke, noise, laughter, drinking. 

Zack exhaled, "This was a good idea." 

"Excuse me?" said a twenty-something red-haired girl who entered the bar right after him. 

_Cute_, he thought, looking her over – average height, short hair, and a nice smile. "Sorry, it's been a long time since I've been here and I just…just…I guess I was thinking out loud," Zack ended lamely. 

"That's nice. I like this place too. You a student?" she asked. 

"Was, graduated from Oxford Med five years ago." 

"So, you're a doctor…what kind?" she asked, warming up. 

He'd seen that look before and decided caution may be called for. "A maxillofacial surgeon," Zack answered, while starting to look for his friends. He spied them in the corner watching him. Great, just what he needed. 

"A surgeon, that sounds demanding. I'm studying for my masters in English, medieval literature," she responded. 

"That doesn't sound like a piece of cake, either. I hate to interrupt, but I'm actually here to meet some friends. If you don't mind, I see them now," Zack said a little uncomfortably. 

"Sure, it was nice to meet you," she said, annoyed. 

"I'm sorry I've been so rude. My name is Zack," he said shaking his head and turning to face her. 

"Jenny," she said brightening a little. 

"I tell you what, I'll find my friends, and if you would still like to talk, I'll come find you...okay?" 

"Alright, I'll be over at the bar getting a _Courage,_" she said while walking away. 

_I must be crazy; she was really pretty._ He made his way over to his friends who had commandeered one of the large tables. 

"Rotten luck mate, I thought you had her fer sure," a tall and skinny black haired man said, drinking from his glass. 

"Thanks Barney, your sympathy means so much," Zack answered sarcastically. "And don't you have anything to add Mick." Zack turned to face the other man at the table, a bearded man with a reddish brown ponytail. 

"Not me mate, just wondering why you didn't invite her over to the table," Mick offered. Zack looked away and Mick added, "My guess, you're outta practice. It's a shame really," Mick continued while looking over at Barney, "a handsome man like this not knowing how to pick-up a girl." 

"If you must know, I came here to hang out with you guys, not pick up a girl." 

"Oh really, that's nice…you're further gone than I thought," Mick ended shaking his head. "What do you think Barney?" 

"Tis sad indeed, but what can you expect from a surgeon? Working all day and night, no time for friends much less some female companionship," Barney added in an exaggerated mournful manner. 

"Enough, guys. Who needs one?" Zack surrendered, gesturing to their empty drinks. 

"Now that's the Zack we know." Barney brightened. "Go a fetch us some ale, boy." 

"And some wenches." Mick added. 

Zack headed over to the bar and got three John Courage Ambers. He looked around like anyone does when they are at a bar and waiting for their drinks to be pulled. The patrons all looked so young -- _was I ever that young?_ He spotted Jenny seated at a table with two girls and three guys. 

_Alas,_ he thought, _at least we had…the doorway._

He chuckled at his own foolishness as the bartender gave him the glasses. He handed over a 50 Pound note and got his change. 

After setting down the beers, he noticed that his friends were exchanging furtive glances with a group of five girls. He noticed some definite giggling and whispering going on. 

"You guys never change," Zack said shaking his head. 

"And why in the world would we?" Barney asked. 

"Oh, I don't know…for the hell of it?" Zack offered. 

"Don't you remember we're conservatives mate; when something works, we stick with it." Mick said while winking over at the other table. "Don't you remember how the three of us met up?" 

"How can I ever forget? You 'recruited' me to play in your weekly poker game." Stroking his chin, Zack then said, "Let's see: Barney saw poor, old lonely me, an American far from home, in the library on a weekend and decided to take pity on me." 

"Easy mate, you're makin' me weepy," Barney said while feigning some tears. 

"As I remember you couldn't wait to lose your money, er, play some cards. You were down right grateful." Mick chipped in. 

"I admit I was grateful…at first. Then you proceeded to fleece me out a month's stipend. All I could afford to eat were toast with tinned beans and Pot Noodles for a month," he complained, "I think I may have done permanent damage to my liver." 

"You know what they say, suffering is good for the soul…or builds character, or some such rubbish." Barney said straight-faced and proceeded to take a long drink from his glass. 

"You remember our little experiment your second year?" Mick asked. 

"I'll never forgive myself for telling you guys about my photographic memory," Zack said mournfully. 

"Hey, it was your idea we were just lending a hand…and our car." Barney said innocently. 

"I was just curious as to whether I could memorize a book if I read it while I was drunk. I didn't ask to be stripped down to my underwear and dumped in an unknown field." Zack said looking at Mick and then Barney in turn. 

"Yes, you did…I swear," Mick said holding his hand over his sternum. 

"Your heart is a little higher," Zack said a gestured for Mick to slide his hand upwards a bit, "and I still don't believe you." 

Barney protested, "We told you a million times, inside the magazine article you read, I wrote a note instructing you to walk into the woods straight ahead of you and wait until 10:15 AM when we would pick you up. It's not our fault you decided to ignore it and instead walk up to the dean's mother's house to ask where you were." 

"The Dean made my life hell after that. The old lady fainted dead away…she really did. And here I was in my underwear, seriously hung-over, trying to decide whether to catch her or just run away. To make amends, I washed his car for the rest of the semester." Mick and Barney were laughing openly by this point and Zack couldn't help but join them. "But why the clothes?" Zack asked, still chuckling. 

"I thought that'd be obvious mate…incentive," Mick said and that started a fresh round of laughter. Mick finished off his ale and volunteered to go and get the next round. 

Zack noticed Barney making eyes at the table of girls again, especially at the tall red head that seemed to be looking over at their table. "I see you are still into red-heads," Barney nodded not taking his eyes away from the other table. "Whatever happened to -- what was her name, Amanda…Amelia?" 

Barney turned to face Zack and said, "It was Amelia. A sad story…she became ill, and I had to leave her." 

Zack was stunned by the seeming indifference in his statement, "What did she have?" he asked in disbelief. 

"A terminal case of commitment." 

"You bastard! I swear you get me every time with that dead-pan delivery," Zack said, hitting Barney in his right arm with the back of his hand. 

"Ouch, be careful. You know how sensitive I am," Barney said, feigning injury. 

"Oh, shut up. I need to make a deposit in the urine bank," Zack said getting up from the table. He glanced at the table of girls and noticed that the pretty brunette with a rack looking over at him -- probably just wishful thinking. He passed Mick on his way back from the bartender. 

"You goin' to drain the lizard?" Mick asked. 

"Yep, I'll be right back." 

Coming back from the bathroom he groaned inwardly as he approached the table. Barney and Mick had invited the group of five girls to join them. Now that he could see them up close he guessed they were all likely undergrads, and they were just as cute he thought. Why the hell not? He wasn't a priest -- he'd just been kind of acting like one for awhile. 

"There he is girls, the man of the hour," Mick gestured towards him. The girls all looked toward him with a mix of interest and incredulousness. That could only mean one thing… 

"Mick, you didn't?" Zack groaned and sat down across from the pretty brunette. 

"Oh, yes, I did. You have a gift mate, and you need to use it or lose it." Mick smiled at him and then at the girls. "Let me introduce these lovely ladies: Carrie," gesturing towards the pretty brunette Zack had noticed earlier, "Sheila, Maude, Linda, and last but certainly not least Fiona", the red head that Barney had been ogling. Each girl in turn smiled at Zack, but he noticed that Carrie seemed a little shy when Zack met her eyes. 

_Nice,_ Zack thought. 

Sheila spoke first, "Barney told us you remember every word of everything you've ever read." 

"Well, not everything, but almost everything." Zack answered, defeated. He, Barney, and Mick had played this game all through medical school. Mick would talk to a group of girls into testing him -- they would be suitably amazed, and bingo, companionship for the evening. Zack looked around and noticed they were starting to lose interest. 

"You know what," Zack added, with a good deal more enthusiasm and the table perked up too, "let's have some fun." He turned towards Carrie who had a copy of _Les Miserables_ in front of her, "I bet you a kiss on the cheek that I can quote verbatim any part of that book." 

Blushing, Carrie looked at her friends who were all urging her on. She picked her book and said, "How about page 158?" 

"Different books have different pages numbers, pick a section if you please," Zack answered with a flourish. 

After a moment looking at the book she spoke up, "Okay then, Fantine, Book Five, chapter II," she challenged with a smile. 

_Damn she is cute, and I'd bet my bike those breasts are real._ He turned his eyes away from her yellow v-neck t-shirt and took a deep breath. 

His right elbow on the table he started to massage his chin with his thumb and index finger. "Just so you know, I last read this book over 10 years ago." _It never hurt to add a little dramatic effect,_ he thought amusedly. The girls murmured among themselves in anticipation. 

"Fantine, Book Five, chapter II: Madeleine. 

_ A man of about fifty, he was good-natured but always seemed preoccupied; this was all that could be said about him."_

Zack looked at the girl's astounded expressions as they were all gathered around the book. Mick and Barney were laughing and giving Zack the thumbs up. 

_"Thanks to the rapid progress of this industry, which he had so successfully recast, Montreuil-sur-mer had become a good sized business center." _

"Do I need to continue?" he asked in a somewhat pompous manner. The girls all stared at him open-mouthed. 

Linda spoke first and a little unsurely, "This has to be a trick somehow. Maybe it's only this book. You did see the book in plain sight, after all." 

Mick answered her, "Any book you like, girlie, as long as he's read it, o'course. But, first I think Carrie owes Zack a little smooch, ay?" Mick said with a wink. 

Carrie rose slowly and leaned over the table. _Better not ogle,_ Zack reminded himself. She stood about 5' 3 and seemed to be physically fit. Zack turned his head and pointed to his cheek and, blushing, Carrie kissed it quickly and sat down. The girls were all laughing, except for Linda, who was still skeptical. 

Zack issued another challenge. "This time you pick the book and, if I've read it, I'll do it again. But this time Linda you kiss Barney, Sheila you kiss Mick," Mick winked at Zack, he always had liked raven haired women, "and both Maude and Fiona kiss me." Barney threw a jealous look Zack's way and Zack just smiled back at him. 

"What about me?" Carrie spoke up a pouting exaggeratedly. 

"I get to kiss you properly," Zack proposed. 

"That's a deal," Carrie concluded and the girls started rummaging through their book bags, with their backs to Zack. He was pretty sure the book came from Carrie's backpack. 

While they were looking and discussing, Zack leaned in a little closer to Mick and Barney and said, "How do you guys possibly get any girls if I'm not here?" 

"We just use our prodigious charm, don't ya know?" Barney replied. 

This was fun, Zack thought, as they waited. He needed to get out with people again. Talking ones anyway -- patients tend to be a little 'shy' when they are on the operating table. 

Fiona turned to him and said, "We've decided. Have you read _Pride and Prejudice_?" 

_Interesting choice,_ he thought, at once testing his memory and his "sensitivity." 

Jane Austen was not an author many men read. Today there were movies for women, i.e. "chick flicks," but back in her day she wrote "chick books." He had happened to read this book as well as _Sense and Sensibility_. He noticed this book was more than a bit tattered around the edges. 

"Yes, I've read that one. Do your worst," Zack intoned with an exaggerated arrogant air. He noticed that Carrie was perceptibly more interested. 

"Okay, here goes. Volume III, Chapter XVII, paragraphs 5 through 7." Sheila spoke slowly and exactly, trying to gauge Zack's reaction. 

"Verrryyy interesting," no one ever got _Laugh-In_ humor over here, Zack thought to himself. "Are you ready?" he paused for dramatic effect, "Here goes:" _"This is a wretched beginning indeed! My sole dependence was on you; and I am sure nobody else will believe me, if you do not. Yet indeed, I am in earnest. I speak nothing but the truth. He still loves me, and we are engaged." _

"Jane looked at her doubtingly. "Oh, Lizzy! it cannot be. I know how much you dislike him." 

"You know nothing of the matter. That is all to be forgot. Perhaps I did not always love him so well as I do now. But in such cases as these, a good memory is unpardonable." Zack shook his finger at them at this point and clicked his tongue. They all laughed. _"This is the last time I shall ever remember it myself."_

Zack bowed as they table applauded his performance. 

Mick pulled him over and said in his "sweet" way, "If you can't close the deal now, you should ashamed of yerself." 

Sure enough Carrie could hardly contain herself. So he sidled around to the other side of the table and kissed her quickly on the mouth and sat next to her. 

She smiled, and kissed him back, "You are amazing. I've never seen anything like that in my life." 

Then Fiona and Maude came over and kissed him on each cheek. Carrie didn't look too pleased but seemed to laugh along with everyone else. 

"Would suggesting you go and buy us some ale be pushing it?" Zack said giving her his most disarming smile. 

It had the effect he wanted. She grabbed her purse and her friend Fiona, and they walked over the bar -- Carrie looking back twice, no three times. 

Barney noticed Zack looking and said suggestively, "That is some ass, ain't it? And the rest ain't bad either." 

Zack groaned, "Must you be so perverse, and please speak proper English. You're a Ph.D. in English Lit for Christ's sake." 

"What would be the fun in that? I'd scare all of these nice undergrads away," Barney said winking and then switching his attention back to Fiona, as she and Carrie returned. 

The rest of the night went as most do in bars -- drinking, carousing, bad jokes, and wondering when to "make the move." It had been a long time since he had done this. But he didn't have to worry about what to say. 

"How about we get out of here? My flat is just 10 minutes from here. Do you have a car?" Carrie whispered in Zack's ear at the same time flicking her tongue and putting her hand against his inner thigh. 

Zack had no thoughts at all…well just one, "Good night all, we are going…" 

"Yes?" Mick chimed in grinning like a Cheshire cat. 

"We…are going to see a man about a horse," Zack turned a little red. _What the hell am I saying?_

"Don't worry about it, luv." She whispered to him and then spoke up to the group "Bye everyone. Zack is going to show me his etchings." Carrie grinned, stuck her tongue out at the group, and grabbed Zack's arm and pulled him towards the door. The group left at the table broke into fits of laughter. 

Zack and Carrie stumbled out the door, laughing and clinging onto each other. 

"My etchings?" Zack said incredulously. 

"Oh shut up. Like you were doing any better," Carrie teased. 

"I was just about ready to wow them with a brilliant reason for our departure," Zack lied. 

"Yeah right," Carrie said, giving him an incredulous look. 

Zack winced exaggeratedly and clutched his hands to his chest and swooned. 

"That's enough of that," she said, grabbed his arm, pulled him to her and kissed him passionately. 

"That was nice," Zack breathed once they parted. 

"Where's your car?" she asked in a huskier voice. 

"I have a motorcycle, the Harley over there." He pointed to his bike a few meters away. 

"That's too cool. I've never been on a motorbike before. Is it dangerous?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye. 

"Not if you know what you are doing. You just need to hold on to me tight. Can you remember that?" Zack said mischievously. 

"I think so," she purred. 

They proceeded to her flat, where they literally attacked each other once they got inside the door. In between kisses and gropes, he noticed subconsciously that this flat seemed large for just one person…he hoped they wouldn't be interrupted. He had his right hand up her T-shirt and was gently squeezing her left breast. Carrie moaned and he felt her stick her tongue in his ear. 

"Where's the bed?" Zack was able to say with some difficulty. For some reason, his vocal cords never worked right with a tongue in his ear and a hand massaging his crotch. 

"This way," she said not bothering to stop tonguing his ear. She led him to a door in the right corner of the flat. 

Once in her bedroom they separated long enough for him to take off his shirt and for her to take off hers. A lamp was on so he could see. 

_Good,_ he thought, he hated fucking in the dark. He eyed her large chest with blind lust and proceeded to slide his hand under the bra. Thank the goddess it was a sports bra with no clips…he hated those damn clasps. He knew they were designed to make any man look like an idiot while attempting to undo them. He started to bring his other hand up towards the bra. 

"Wait a minute, let me," she said breathlessly. She smiled at him and slowly slipped her bra over her head. 

"Wow," Zack exclaimed and wondered if he said it out loud. Based on her look of appreciation he guessed he did. 

She slinked over to him and grabbed his head and put it against her breasts, and they fell onto the bed. She had large tan areolas and nipples and they were hard as rocks. She was definitely excited, Zack was glad to see, not that he doubted it, but it was still good to have confirmation. He traded off licking, sucking both nipples, with the occasional nibble. He heard her breathing heavily and moaning at each nibble. 

_Sensitive breasts – excellent,_ he thought. After a few moments of this she grabbed his head and pulled it up to hers and kissed him open-mouthed – their tongues intertwining. 

He felt her hand slide down to his jeans and undo the belt and the zipper, with one hand. 

_Very talented this one,_ Zack thought and smiled. Then she got to her knees on the bed tossed her hair and preceded to pull his pants off. 

She smiled, "No underwear, I like that," and he had no reason to doubt her as she grabbed his engorged cock and started to stroke him. Zack moaned. 

_God damn, that felt good,_ he thought, stretching his neck involuntarily. Then she took him in her mouth and sucked his cock, while at the same time massaging his balls. 

"Oh shit," Zack exclaimed, "that feels great. Please don't stop." 

She looked up at him with his cock still in her mouth. 

_Damn, that was sexy,_ he thought, and she said, "I think it's your turn," slowly disengaging herself. 

She took off her pants and underwear, and lay down on the bed. She was rubbing her legs together and Zack was willing to bet she was wet, very wet. He gave her his best you-are-going-to-love-this grin and started to softly kiss the top of her foot while at the same time massaging her right calf. Then he switched legs and saw that Carrie was positively squirming. He started to move his way up with soft kisses and wandering hands, _no "leaping for the clitoris" for this boy,_ he thought and smiled again. He knew this would drive her insane, but seeing as how she was maybe 21, he didn't do his normal 20-minute version…she might explode, literally. Suddenly he thought of something, 

"Have you ever had a multiple orgasm?" Zack said, practically oozing sex…and not stopping his hands or his lips. She looked up at him with lust in her eyes. 

"N..n..no." She stuttered and added shyly, "I haven't ever had an orgasm during sex, only…well you know by myself," she finished still squirming. 

"I can tell you for certain," kiss, little tongue on the inner thigh, slip the hand just over the pubic hair, "you will definitely have at least one orgasm tonight." 

That seemed to be too much for her as she tried to grab him, "Please, please fuck me. FUCK ME NOW!" she begged. 

But instead, Zack opened her legs slowly with his hands and then put his right hand over her sopping wet pussy and she shrieked, "Ohhhhhh, shit." He could feel her quivering all over. 

_This was fun,_ Zack smirked. 

Then he slipped his middle finger into her slowly. She arched her back and a stuttering moan escaped her. 

_Damn, I'm good._

Next, he slipped his thumb up towards her clitoris and rubbed it gently while still keeping his finger inside her. 

"Oh, please, please, please…" He knew she was about to orgasm, so he slowed down his movements to extend the length of the orgasm. She was going crazy and tossing her head side-to-side and breathing very hard. Zack decided to stop the "sweet torture" and increased the speed just little. That did it, she stopped tossing her head and looked at him, her face was all red, and suddenly arched her back and screamed and bucked her hips up and down, finally closing her legs. 

After a few moments of heavy breathing, she spoke, "Ummmmm, you are amazing!" 

She sat up with some difficulty and grabbed Zack and kissed him ferociously, pushing him onto his back. 

"I want you inside me NOW!" She straddled him and lowered herself onto his throbbing penis. "Ooooohhhh," she moaned as she started to go up and down on him. 

"That's nice Carrie, real good," Zack said breathily. Then he reached up and grabbed both of her spectacular breasts. She picked up the pace. 

"That's it, squeeze my tits. Oh YES, just like that," she exclaimed almost angrily. 

Zack started to pinch her nipples and a few seconds later Carrie had another orgasm. She couldn't continue to ride him in her condition, so Zack carefully moved out from under her and put her on her hands and knees. He loved doing it doggy-style -- he loved the shape and feel of a woman's ass. He gently kneaded her buttocks and slid his cock into her again. She was not as tight as she had been. 

_Two earth-shattering orgasms will do that,_ he mused. 

Still it felt great as he pushed in and pulled out, while Carrie moaned. After a few minutes, Carrie started to thrust back onto his cock. Now this felt good. 

"Oh, that's great, keep doing that," he said. 

He picked up the pace and Carrie came again and this time Zack did too, audibly groaning with each wave of his orgasm. He finally shivered while pulling his cock out. Carrie surprised him by turning over and taking him full in her mouth. 

"Oh FUCK. Uh huh, yes suck that dick, oh YESS!" _Damn she was good,_ Zack thought appreciably. 

They collapsed in a heap on her bed. She snuggled up to him and he kissed her forehead, as she fell immediately asleep in his arms. Just barely reaching the bedside lamp he clicked it off. Snoozing for a minute or two would be fine, he convinced himself. 

  


* * *

  
Special thanks goes out to Crow, Juliane and Lillith for their beta skills. Thanks, ladies. 


	2. Chapter 2 The Accident

Late for School Chapter 2 By Archie Leach 

* * *

_Disclaimer: The characters are Rowling's. The plot and Zack are mine. No money is being made._

* * *

  
"Good morning, gorgeous. You wanna have some fun?" Carrie teased, wearing just a T-shirt and stroking his chest with her right hand. 

"What time is it?" Zack said absentmindedly, stretching. 

"7:30," she said, nuzzling his neck. 

"That's nice…Oh, SHIT! 7:30! I've got a surgery at 9:00 am! Sorry, I gotta go," Zack exclaimed, getting up and gathering his clothes. 

She frowned at him. "That's too bad. Last night was incredible and I was hoping for some more." She licked her lips suggestively. 

"That is not fair," he said, clearly tempted. He finished dressing and then reached into his wallet and gave her his card. "Write down your number for me and we can get together again." He kissed her on the cheek and started toward the door. Then he decided to give her a card to keep - she was damn sexy, after all. 

"You know that I'll call you," she said, looking like very much the part of a temptress. "That was the best sex I've ever had," she added honestly. 

_I better be careful with this one._ "Last night was great," he admitted. "Call me in a couple of days - I think I need time to recover," Zack added with a wink. She laughed and walked him out. 

"Bye Zack," said a female voice from the kitchen. Zack stopped and waited for a moment. A longhaired red head came around the corner in her pajamas. 

"Bye to you too, Fiona…nice pj's," Zack added fetchingly. 

"There will be none of that Fiona," Carrie said possessively and steered Zack towards the door. She gave him a nice kiss and Zack raced towards his bike. 

"Seven fucking forty-five!" Zack exclaimed, climbing onto his bike. 

"Bye lover," said a deep voice…it was Barney from the upstairs window. Apparently Zack wasn't the only one to find some companionship last night. 

"Bye yourself," Zack answered with a quick wave and started the bike. 

He made it home in less than 10 minutes, hopefully evading any traffic cameras. He ran into his flat. 

"MRRROOOWWWW, MRROOOWWW, MMRROOWW!" Russell was not happy. 

"Sorry Russell, I got caught up." Zack quickly opened up a can of tuna and gave her the whole thing. 

"Mrow," she added dismissively and started to chow down. 

Zack filled the water bowl, spilling some on the floor, and then drank several glasses of water and hit the shower. He finished just as the clock turned to 8:13. He dried off, while brushing his teeth and started to look for some clean scrubs. Unable to find any clean ones, he proceeded to look through the used ones. With a quick sniff of approval, he put on a set and headed for the door. He spied the cat, picked her up and gave her a good scratching until she started purring and then set her down. She shook her body vigorously and headed back to the remains of the tuna. 

"I want to be the cat in the next life," he said, heading out the door. He arrived at the hospital with 15 minutes to spare. He grabbed his "usual" breakfast and headed to the operating room. 

After he finished scrubbing up he looked at the clock. _Five minutes late, not too bad._ However, the team didn't look very happy. He chose to ignore it and proceeded straight to the patient. In one way he was glad it was "just" a cleft palate—he had performed dozens of these over the last three years and was sure of his skills. Still, the patient was only a year old. Zack was grateful the surgery went without incident and afterwards he went to find an empty room to take a nap before his next surgery at 1 pm. 

"Dr. Flood…Dr. Flood…wake up," he seemed to hear a gentle voice from a great distance. 

"Dr. Flood, your Mum's on the telephone." This time a significant nudge accompanied the voice and he awoke. 

"Thanks, Ingrid. What time is it?" Zack asked yawning. 

"11:30 and she's on line 3," she said pointing toward the phone on the table and then leaving. 

"Hi, Mom. What's up?" Zack said, groggy. 

"I hope you weren't just operating in that condition?" she said with some concern. 

"No, just catching a nap before my next surgery. What's going on?" 

"Small change of plans -- the birthday party is at our house. My sister burned the cake so badly the whole house needs to be fumigated. She was never much in the kitchen," his mother complained. 

"Still at 6:00 pm then?" Zack asked, shaking his head 

"Yes, but if you could make it before 6 pm it would be nice to have a little help setting up," his mother said authoritatively. 

"I'll see what I can do. If the surgery goes well, I should be able to make it." Zack stated stifling a yawn. "I have to go Mom. I'll see you in a bit." 

"Okay, bye. Good luck dear." He crawled back on the examination table to sleep. 

_A group of three hooded figures crouched around a glowing item that Zack couldn't get close enough to see without being seen himself. He felt nervous even being this close -- the figures all wore armor and carried swords. Each of the figures had some type of crest on their coat of arms, but he couldn't quite make it out. The tree he was hiding behind suddenly fell over and he was exposed. _

"Infidel!" cried one of the knights, charging toward him. 

Zack started to run but caught his foot on a root, causing him to fall. The knight was on him before he could get up, grabbing Zack by his hair and turning him around. 

"What are thee…my God, it's you…forgive me!" The knight pleaded and bent down on a knee. Zack dumbfounded, noticed that the crest was that of a rose… 

"ZACK! Wake up!" a deep male voice boomed. Zack arose with a start, momentarily confused and saw his head of surgery standing in front of him. 

"Doctor Palmer! I'm sorry I was just getting a quick nap, sir." 

"I could see that Dr. Flood. It took a good deal to rouse you. But no matter, I've assigned Jenkins to take your cleft lip this afternoon." 

Zack could see the concern on Doctor Palmer's face. Doctor Palmer was a paunchy, tall man in his fifties with thinning grey hair, who normally had a warm smile on his face and well-used laugh-lines around his eyes. But now his faced showed worry. 

Zack started to protest. "But sir…" 

"I want you to go home and sleep…I mean it. You are an excellent surgeon, one of the finest I've ever seen, but you are driving yourself too hard," Dr. Palmer said, putting a hand gently on Zack's shoulder. "Now go home and rest." 

"Thanks, I know I need it, but I feel useless unless I'm operating," Zack said. 

"I know what you mean, son. I felt that way when I was a young surgeon too. But we are all too human and mistakes can happen no matter how gifted we are." 

"You are right, of course," Zack said, defeated. "I'll head straight home." 

"Eat something first. I bet you haven't had a nutritious meal in days," Dr. Palmer added, looking him over. "You look terrible." 

"I had chicken fried steak last night at my parents," Zack objected. 

"I'll ignore that. Get a healthy meal on your way home and then sleep. Those are your marching orders," Dr. Palmer said in his imitation British Army Officer voice. Dr. Palmer loved _The Bridge on the River Kwai,_ Zack recalled. 

"Yes, sir," Zack saluted. He smiled wanly and headed home. He stopped by a sandwich shop and picked up a tuna fish sandwich and large vegetable soup to take home. Russell greeted him at the door as always and twined in between his ankles. 

"I'd say I'm glad to see you too, but I know it's the tuna fish you are after," Zack said with a raised eyebrow. 

"Mrrroowww," Russell mewed and sat looking expectantly at Zack. 

"You know when you do that I have to scritch you," Zack said playfully and picked up the cat, scratching her all over, starting with the top of her head. All the while Russell purred loudly. 

Zack sat and ate his lunch in a daze, remembering the weird dream he had in the exam room. It felt so real, but where the hell did it come from? He went into his bedroom and set the alarm for 4:30 pm. He practically passed out before his head hit the pillow. 

  


* * *

  


He woke up feeling better, turned on his CD player and cranked up Kansas _Leftoverture_ before getting ready for the party, even using a hair dryer to dry his hair. _Will miracles never cease?_ He was surprised to find that he felt good for the first time in a while. _Amazing what some decent sleep will do._ He dressed in his favorite black jeans and wore an Oxford red short sleeve pullover. He grabbed his motorcycle helmet, wiping a little dust off of it with a hint of guilt and headed out the door. 

The drive to his parents was a little busier than yesterday; still, he was making good time. _ Mom will be shocked at my punctuality,_ he thought with a grin. He looked forward to seeing his Aunt Felecia, Uncle Larry, three-year-old little Larry, and, of course, the birthday girl herself, Elizabeth Erina Tilden. This birthday, her 11th, and this party had been a main topic of conversation for the last several months. He didn't know why an 11th birthday was so special, but the party promised to be fun. Whenever his Aunt and Uncle were involved, "fun" things tended to happen. 

As long as Zack could remember the Tildens have always been "different." His parents explained to him they were just eccentrics and it would be rude to say anything. Zack initially wrote if off as some kind of "British thing." Bottom-line, he didn't care that they were odd. Odd meant interesting. Anyway, he always had fun hanging out with the Tilden's, especially when they came visiting his parent's house. His uncle acted like a little child visiting an amusement park for the first time. Every time the phone rang, he stared in anticipation. The microwave oven was a wonder. And the television was too fascinating for words; they would watch it for hours at a time, whether it was on or off. 

Zack remembered when he was little coming to England to visit his father's parents -- that was when he met Aunt Felecia and Uncle Larry for the first time. They wore robes the entire time Zack and his family were at their house. When Zack asked his parents about it, they told him to be nice and not say anything. He remembered many odd occurrences at their house, but wrote it off as childish fantasies. _It's too bad my photographic memory seems to extend only to pictures and the written word,_ he thought ruefully. 

Zack's mind drifted to the first time he met Bethie, only three at the time but already talking like an adult. He was immediately struck by her vivid imagination and sweet personality. He recalled a time when she was seven-years-old, telling him a story about a child wizard named Henry Porter, or something like that, who survived a terrible curse when he was only a baby, but losing both his parents in the process. The bad wizard didn't die, however, returning years later to try and kill Henry again and take over the world, but Henry was once again able to stop him. He shook his head and smiled, _what an amazing story for a seven-year old to invent._ She ought to write it down, he thought, it could be a best-selling children's book. 

When medical school was not in session or on holiday, he would sometimes come over and spend time at the Tilden's. One time in particular stood out in his memory. Zack had taken Bethie to the park to play on the jungle gym. She loved to sit in the fort and act like she was hiding from some dark wizard. He wasn't paying attention, chatting to a single mother he recalled, and she climbed out the fort window and tried to leap to the slide, losing her footing and falling hard to the ground. He ran over and gently picked her up, carrying her three blocks home, hoping the entire way she was okay and feeling guilty for his inattention. Aunt Felecia and Uncle Larry met him about a block away from the house – it was like they knew what had happened. 

_ "We need to get her to a hospital. It's a broken arm, I think" Zack panted. _

"Thanks for bringing her back so quickly, Zack. I'll take care of her now," his aunt said while his uncle gently took her out of his arms. 

But they didn't take her to the hospital. Once they got in the house, they took her into her room and closed the door. He wondered what they possibly could be doing. He headed up the steps, hearing them mutter some foreign words when the sobbing suddenly stopped. His aunt and uncle met Zack on the steps and suggested he go home, that Bethie was fine and the arm wasn't broken. Even though he was certain her arm was broken, the next time he saw her a few days later Bethie's arm was fine with no hint of pain. _I guess she's tougher than she looks._

But his train of thought dissolved as he pulled in front of the house, and he decided to continue on a bit until he was in front of the next house. He smiled mischievously and walked across the yard to the driveway. Balloons had been tied into an "11" under the big oak tree in the front yard, and a large number of people were milling about. Obviously, they were friends of his aunt's, considering their strange clothes. _Some hippies never grow out of it,_ he thought. He walked over to the food. Tables were laden with lots of different goodies, including a bowl of funny jellybeans, and a bunch of blue and gold boxes marked "chocolate frogs." He had to try one of those, he thought, reaching for one. 

"ZACK," his mother called, walking over to him. "Put that back. Those are for the kids," she admonished him. "I need you to help your father set up the grill -- you know how he is with fire," she added with a roll of her eyes. 

"All right, no problem," he agreed, walking toward the door to the back gate. 

"ZACK! YOU'RE HERE!!" he heard an excited young voice call. 

"Hey, Bethie, I wouldn't miss this for the world, you know that." 

"What did you get me?" she asked, hopping up and down a little. 

"Nice to see you too," he admonished gently. 

"Yeah, yeah…well?" 

Zack laughed and picked her up and spun her around. 

Bethie laughed a little and then said, "Please put me down. There are people everywhere. Besides I'm not a kid anymore," she added as he gently complied with her request. 

"Not a kid anymore, huh? Eleven is all grown up, is it?" he chided. 

"That's right. I get to go to Hogwarts this year," she said excitedly, then looked like she said something wrong. 

"What's Hogwarts?" he asked curiously. 

"It's a…a…special house, my friends live there," she lied unconvincingly. 

"Zack, would you please go help your father before he burns down the house?" his mother said, walking over toward them. 

"Okay, Mom. See you later, Bethie." 

"Call me Elizabeth now, okay?" she said shyly but definitively. 

"As you wish." He smiled and winked at her. _Boy she was all grown up_, he thought, shaking his head and walking around the house. 

"Hogwarts," he mumbled aloud as he reached the back patio, "what could that be?" 

"What's that Zack?" his father said, trying to open a new can of lighter fluid. 

"Oh, nothing. Why are you opening a new can of lighter fluid, doesn't the other one have plenty left?" Zack asked with concern. 

"Remember the last time I grilled outside and the charcoal took forever to light? Well, not this year," his father added ominously. 

"Dad, I demand you cease and desist…by order of Mom!" he said forcefully, but sarcastically, as he walked up to him. "I will handle the grill, if you don't mind. Besides you are one of the hosts so go mingle." 

"You never let me have any fun," his father whined and took off his apron. 

"Dad, you might want to change your shirt and wash up a bit -- you smell like a petrol station," Zack waving his hand in front of his face. 

"Fine. Let me know if you need any help." 

"Hello there," called a strange male voice coming around the side of the house, "may I watch you? This is so fascinating." The voice belonged to a tall, 50-something, balding, red-haired man dressed in green robes who seemed to be brimming with curiosity. 

"Sure… Who are you? I'm Zack Flood, by the way, the ne'er-do-well son of the owners of this fine abode," Zack finished with a flourish. 

"I'm so sorry. My name is Arthur Weasley. I work with your Uncle Larry, and he invited my wife and me over for the big day." He looked closely at the charcoal grill. "How does this work exactly?" Zack explained the basic function of a gas grill. "So it actually cooks meat without wood for the fire? Ingenious, these Muggles." 

"Muggles? I…" Zack stopped as heard someone coming around the house. 

"ARTHUR!" He heard a penetrating female voice call from around the side of the house. "Where have you gone off to?" A short, ball of energy, with graying-red hair came marching around the corner of the house. "Oh, there you are. I should have known," she said stopping and putting her hands on her hips. "Who needs kids when I have you to keep track of?" she added somewhat exasperated, but clearly with great affection. 

"Molly, you have to see this. He is about to cook meat without wood!" He was acting like a giddy child. 

She shook her head and approached Zack. "Hello, my name is Molly Weasley. I have to apologize for my husband. He is forever getting his nose where it doesn't belong. Are you Zack?" she asked, smiling. 

Zack nodded, "Uh, yes I am. It's a pleasure to meet you…both of you." Zack finished distractedly, as he watched Mr. Weasley stare in rapt fascination at the water sprinkler in the back yard. 

"It's nice to meet you finally. We have heard so much from your aunt. You are a doctor I believe…ARTHUR! Leave that alone," she admonished. 

"Well, yes, I'm a surgeon. I …does he always act that way around lawn sprinklers?" Zack finished in disbelief as Mr. Weasley smelled and tasted the sprinkler. 

"Arthur, put that down now. We need to get back to the party," she said tiredly, tugging on her husband's sleeve. 

"But, Molly, this has WATER in it, and it spins around!" he protested. 

Zack stood dumbfounded as Mrs. Weasley led a protesting Mr. Weasley around to the front of the house. 

"Goodbye, dear, it was nice meeting you. I'm sure we'll see you in a bit," Molly said while pushing Mr. Weasley away. 

"Yes, it was nice to meet you," Arthur added, finally giving in and walking away. 

Zack shook his head and then proceeded to fire up the grill and cook the bangers, chicken, and pork chops. The party went well except for a few instances of levitating children. _Certainly, some kind of trick,_ Zack thought. Everyone had a great time and there was plenty of food for all. There were odd fireworks as well that exploded into the shape of different kinds of animals. He had never heard of these before and thought it must be a trick of the eye. A group of people gathered around Mr. Weasley, who kept pointing at Zack and toward the back of the house. The people were very excited and stared at Zack dubiously. He had no idea what was going on and didn't really want to know. 

"Zack, I have been very patient waiting for my present," Elizabeth pouted as she approached him. "I've opened everyone else's." 

"Wait right here," Zack said pointing to where he was sitting. He then went to his bike and retrieved the bicycle helmet and his helmet as well. "Here you are," he said, presenting her the unwrapped box. 

"Oh, thank you," she said clearly disappointed. 

Zack waited a moment and then whispered, "How would like a ride on my motorcycle?" 

It had the desired effect. "You mean it?" she asked, barely able to contain herself. 

"I tried to buy you your own helmet, but they didn't have your size, that's why I got the bicycle helmet." 

"Should I just wear the bike helmet then?" she asked excitedly. 

"No, it's not safe enough. I brought my helmet for you. I know it's a little big but just strap it on tight." He said, showing her how to tighten it. "I'll take the helmet. You sneak around to the street. I'll meet you beside one of the cars so they can't see us." 

"Ooohhh, this is the best present ever," she said collecting herself and looking around for a likely escape route. 

Zack meandered his way to his bike, checking to make sure his aunt and uncle and his parents didn't see him. The number of people present made it easier to sneak away. 

"Hi, where have you been?" a voice said behind him. 

"Shit!" Zack exclaimed and then turned nervously to see it was Bethie…Elizabeth. "DON'T DO THAT!" he said, jumpy. "How did you get here so fast?" 

She laughed and grabbed the helmet. "Don't worry, let's go, let's go," she directed cinching the too-big helmet. 

"All right then. Hold on tight," he instructed, and pulled the bike slowly away from the curb with a smile on his face. 

It was a beautiful day for a ride, sunny, warm, with just a hint of a breeze. The roads were pretty clear of traffic so he was able to maneuver without too much trouble. He approached a red stoplight and turned to check on his passenger. 

"Well, what do you think, Elizabeth?" Zack asked. 

"It's wonderful," she yelled through the helmet, "but can I take off the helmet? It's hot," she complained. 

"Not a chance, this is your first time. PLUS your parents don't even know we are out here," Zack said cautiously. 

"Oh, they know we're out here. I told them before we left," she said matter of factly, "but I didn't want to ruin it for you. You seemed to enjoy sneaking about," she added a bit sheepishly. 

Zack laughed, "You are a real piece of work, you know that? Did you and your parents enjoy my feeble attempts at subterfuge?" he added genially. 

"Yes," she admitted and squeezed him a little tighter. 

A car horn honked and he accelerated through the light. He decided to take Park Road and go around the roundabout at the A404 and then back home. He didn't think she was ready for the A404 just yet. Park Road was agreeably devoid of traffic so he was able to accelerate to a decent speed. As he approached the roundabout he thought he heard a squeal of tires up ahead and slowed down, just in case. He saw a green VW Bug speeding on Rectory Road and forcing its way onto to the roundabout, almost hitting a BMW that was merging from Park. _ Probably hormonally challenged teenagers,_ he thought, watching them speed away. He thought the roundabout would be fun because he could teach her to lean into the curve. 

He pulled to the side of the road and turned to her. "When we start going around the roundabout, I want you lean into the curve, like this," Zack showed her. She mimicked him as best she could. "That's very good," he said. "Don't be scared. This will be fun," he promised. 

He checked the road and pulled out onto Park. The roundabout looked clear and he started to turn into it. 

"Lean a little more, Elizabeth," he shouted so she could hear, and she complied. One of the best bits about riding a motorcycle was leaning into curves when you really could feel the g-forces. 

As he approached the merge section from the A404, he felt, more than heard, the roar of a car engine. He saw a green blur to his left and tried to avoid it, but it was going too fast. The car hit the side of the bike, forcing Zack into the barriers that marked the inside of the loop. The bike hit the barrier with a sick crunching metal sound. He flew off of the bike and rolled onto the pavement on the other side. He was able to protect his head using his arms and tucking his head, instantly grateful for his early Judo classes that taught him how to fall and protect your head. He heard and felt his right arm break when it hit the pavement. He rolled onto the grass and lay there for a moment stunned. Then he remembered he wasn't alone this time. 

"ELIZABETH!" he shouted in a panicked tone. He sat up slowly, ignoring the terrible pain in his arms, legs, ribs, and the blood coming from his head. Some people had stopped and were coming toward him. 

"DON'T MOVE!" someone shouted, but he ignored them. He had to find Bethie. 

He somehow was able to rise to his feet with the help of a middle-aged man. "You really should lie still until the ambulance gets here. You are badly hurt and bleeding," the man advised, looking very worried. 

"I know, I'm a doctor…but I have to find…" As he was talking he looked around and spied her crumpled form on the grass, the helmet lying useless, a good 10 meters from her. Tears filled Zack's eyes and he begged the man to help him over to her. He saw her legs and arms were scraped badly and bleeding, but it was her blood-matted hair that concerned him the most. _ I am such a fool, such an utter fool to risk this precious girl's life for a momentary thrill._ He knelt painfully down beside her and felt for a pulse on her bloody neck. His heart leapt as he felt a weak but definite pulse. 

"She's still alive," he croaked weakly, "but she needs an ambulance immediately." He brushed her hair away from her face and noticed that she was bleeding from the side of her head. His heart was in his throat as he carefully parted her hair with his shaky left hand…her skull was fractured, not crushed, but badly fractured. With cold certainty he knew she would be dead before the ambulance reached her. He started to cry, but stopped himself almost immediately. 

"She's alive. I…I…have to do something," he muttered with urgency searching for…for what? What could he possibly do? But he had to do something. The crowd of onlookers watched as Zack gently brushed her hair away from her face and then proceeded to rock back and forth, staring at the young girl. 

He felt his anger, guilt, and frustration like they were knives cutting his skin. He knew he could heal her wounds if he were in a hospital, he knew EXACTLY what he needed to do to repair the fracture. He literally could see the text in his head; he could picture the procedure movement for movement, and in his panic he turned completely into himself. He had heard of dying people being able to see themselves hovering over their own bodies. That is how he felt as he went over the procedure in his mind over and over again, fine-tuning it. He could picture his whole team and what each of them would be doing during each stage of the operation. His urgency kept growing as he watched her fading away, still he replayed the operation over and over until, suddenly, his mind started to tremble and he felt something give way with a shriek. Still staring at her limp form he thought he saw the blood stop flowing, the wound on her head disappear, the hair matted with blood become clean and…and her eyes open. Imagination was a wonderful thing, he thought, and then lost consciousness and knew no more… 

  


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Special thanks goes out to Crow, Juliane, and Lillith for their beta skills. Thanks, ladies. 


	3. Chapter 3 I'm a what?

Late for School Chapter 1 By Archie Leach 

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_Disclaimer: The characters are Rowling's. Zack and the plot are mine. No money is being made._

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From very far away, Zack slowly felt consciousness return. He had no idea where he was, or even when "if" he was. But he gradually became aware of a discussion taking place nearby. 

"He must come with me, Albus. He was able to do something unheard of before and it must be studied!" he heard a shaky man's voice utter. Zack decided to keep his eyes closed so he could hear what was going on. 

"Cornelius, this man needs to be educated in our ways, and I will not allow you to make some kind of experiment out of him. He will be coming to Hogwarts and that is the end of the discussion," another voice answered, but this one, while temperate, invited no argument. 

"We shall see about this. I'm…I'm going to file a complaint with the board. _This_ is not the end of the discussion," Cornelius uttered, none too bravely. 

"That, of course, is your option. Have a nice day, Cornelius," Albus said as a door shut. "Madam Pomfrey, I believe our patient is awake," Albus said and Zack knew he'd been found out. 

He opened his eyes to find that he was in a small infirmary. He saw no medical equipment of any kind. With a start he remembered the accident… 

"Oh god, I killed Bethie. I remember now…she fell off the bike…my helmet was too big…" Zack started to sob. 

"Zack, it's quite all right. Elizabeth is resting quite comfortably in the other room," Albus said gently, approaching his bed and drawing up a chair. 

"How? Did I dream the accident? Don't lie to me," Zack demanded, an edge creeping into his voice. 

"Zack, everything must seem confusing to you at this moment. But I assure you Elizabeth is fine and so are you. Thanks to the ministrations of Polly Pomfrey and the potions of Miss Granger." 

Thoroughly confused, Zack didn't know what to think, and seeing "Albus" for the first time clearly, he thought he might be looking at St. Nick complete with long white hair, a beard, and a funny hat. 

"Who are you?" he finally managed to say. 

"Oh dear me, I must appear so rude. My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I am the headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Of course, you have no idea what that is, but I assure you it is a fine institution and one with which I hope you will become acquainted," he explained with a smile. "However, before we continue, your parents and aunt and uncle are here, and I promised them they could see you as soon as you woke up." 

"One question before you go," Zack asked. "Where am I, and why?" 

"That is two questions," Albus corrected, looking over his glasses. "You are at the Oxford Wizarding Hospital and you are here because you were injured." 

"Wizarding hospital?" 

"Yes. You are a wizard. You weren't yesterday, but today you are. That is why you are in a wizarding hospital." 

Zack started to interrupt again but Albus stopped him. "Don't worry, I know you have many questions; I also have many answers," he said cryptically. "But now you need to see your relatives and have some food and rest; I will return later. I'm glad to see you are mending." Albus walked over to talk with a stern looking woman with graying brown hair, dressed in a white apron. 

"Polly, I am going to speak with Zack's family for a moment. You should know, I have given Zack permission to see his family." Polly started to interrupt, but he cut her off with an upturned palm. "I wouldn't do it if it wasn't important," he told her. 

"As you say, Headmaster, but he needs his rest more than anything. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to minister to his wounds again." 

Albus smiled. "Thank you Polly. You and your sister are both credits to your profession." 

"Pish-posh," she huffed but looked pleased. Albus smiled at her and walked out through the double doors. She headed over to Zack's bed. 

"Your family will be coming in to see you in a little while, but you must promise to stay relaxed, otherwise out they go," she said officially and poured some purple liquid onto a white cloth and wiped his arms and face. It smelled terrible and stung a bit. 

"Excuse me, what is that?" Zack asked somewhat nervously. 

"It's a wound cleaning potion. How are you feeling?" she asked, looking into his eyes. 

"I feel remarkably well. I thought I was injured much more seriously than a few bruises and scrapes," he answered, looking over his arms and feeling his face. 

"Oh, but you were seriously injured. You are very lucky that the Ministry got you here as quickly as they did; you were in bad shape. It's also lucky that Miss Granger was available to make the _Sanguination_ potion; you had lost a great deal of blood." 

"Given the advanced healing of my wounds, I must have been in a coma for weeks then," he said without conviction. 

"You have been here only two days, Mr. Flood. I would be an embarrassment to my profession if it took me two weeks to heal the wounds you had," she said in a huff, turning a light shade of red. 

"I meant no disrespect, I assure you. But I am really at a loss right now as to how?" he said feeling completely bewildered. 

_Potions, wizards, Hogwarts…what is going on?_

"Perhaps I can help," a smooth, confident female voice said, entering the room. 

"Professor Granger, it is good that you are here. I am not sure how to answer his questions," she said, turning to the woman entering the room. 

Zack was quite pleased at the new addition to the conversation. The woman was in her twenties, quite pretty he thought, above average height, with long, thick light brown hair, brown eyes, and a great smile. She was wearing a red knee-length skirt, a patterned short-sleeve pullover and an ankle length, open front robe. She looked to be in good shape, too, although shorts and a clingy top would have afforded a better opportunity to assess… 

"Ahem," she cleared her throat to get his attention. Zack blushed slightly as he knew he'd been caught "looking her over." But she didn't seem to mind too much and gently smiled at him again. 

"I think you _are_ starting to feel better," she said, and gave him a cup of steaming liquid. "Here, drink this." She saw his quizzical expression and added, "It's a restorative with just a touch of the _Sanguination_ potion. I know you don't know what I am talking about, but don't worry about it. Your parents and Professor Dumbledore have filled me in on your history, and I assure you it will become clearer in the next couple of days." 

He drank her potion, which had a not too unpleasant woodsy taste. "Uh, Professor Granger…" 

"Call me Hermione," she interrupted, looking at him. 

"Um, okay, thanks…and you can call me Zack," he offered. 

"Okay, Zack. You were saying?" 

"Am I insane, dreaming, or both?" 

"None of the above. You are awake, and I believe you have complete control of your faculties," she diagnosed. 

"For the moment I will take you at your word." He paused, trying to find the right words. "I have no idea where to start -- my head is literally exploding with questions." 

When Hermione looked a little alarmed, Zack added, "Figuratively speaking, that is." 

"It might help you to know that both of my parents are Muggle-borns. In fact, they are in the medical profession as well; they are both dentists. So I am no stranger to the Muggle world. Away from Hogwarts, I have a phone, a TV, and even a computer, which I sneak away to use now and again," she admitted. 

"I'm sorry…..umm, Muggle-borns?" Zack asked at a loss. 

"Muggles are people without magic." She looked at him expectantly. 

"Hogwarts?" he asked next. 

"Hogwarts is a school in England that teaches young wizards and witches how to use and control their power. I am in my second year as Potions Mistress there," she added with pride. 

Zack leaned back against his pillows and took a deep breath. 

"Perhaps tomorrow," Hermione started and Zack reached out to her. 

"Please don't go yet." 

"I know that Headmaster Dumbledore plans to have a nice long chat with you tomorrow. I'm certain he will answer your questions then. In the meantime if you have some, let's say, less complex questions, I will be happy to answer them." 

"Why is there no technological equipment at Hogwarts?" Zack asked out of the blue. 

"Excuse me?" 

"You said you had a phone, a TV and a computer _away_ from Hogwarts. Why not at Hogwarts? Surely, the Internet would be useful for doing almost any kind of research?" he asked, and tried to sit up. 

"Why don't you get up and sit in a proper chair for awhile?" Hermione suggested pulling over another chair. Zack got up gingerly and stood on shaky legs, managing to make it to the chair without falling on his face. 

"Technology doesn't work in the presence of magical structures like Hogwarts. I did a research paper on it when I was in school for _Muggle Studies_ class. In summary, magic seems to intensify electrical currents making them unstable and thus rendering any items that use electricity worthless. I furthermore researched the properties of electricity to see if there could be a way to shield…" 

Zack coughed a little into his hand and she paused. "Should I be taking notes, Professor?" he said with a smile. 

She blushed slightly at his remark. "I guess I still act the know-it-all on occasion. If Professor Snape were here, he would be sure to let me know about it." 

"Professor Snape…is he here?" Zack asked. 

"If he was, you would know," she answered with emphasis. "And just between us, the potions would taste a good deal worse." 

"Oh really, what's he like?" he asked warily. 

"I wouldn't want to ruin it for you. You will likely meet him soon enough. In fact, I look forward to your assessment." Zack couldn't stop looking at her. 

_She's enchanting and has a smile that could light up an entire city block. _

"Would you like to see a demonstration of magic?" she said, changing the subject. "As a doctor, I'm sure you cannot accept the existence of magic without some proof?" 

"Yes, I would like to see some magic, but I wasn't exactly sure what the protocol would be for such a request," he said with interest. "You mean there isn't some kind of training video…_Magic and You: Using Magic in Everyday Life_?" he asked. 

"Now you are just being silly. I will start with a simple spell, since I'm just introducing you to the concept. First, I will increase the size of your mug." She pulled a wooden stick from inside her robe and pointed it at the mug. "_Engorgio_," she said and pointed the stick at the mug. He saw something shoot out of the end of the stick and impact the mug. The mug grew to three or four times its size as he watched it. 

"Whoa," he said, leaning back in his chair and looking at the mug apprehensively. 

"Don't be afraid," she said firmly. "Why don't you get up and touch it?" she suggested. 

"Okay," he said with more bravery than he really felt. He got up a little too quickly and Hermione steadied him. 

"Haven't you been out of bed since you got here?" she said, concerned. 

"No, but don't worry. I'm fine…it actually feels good to stand," he said, straightening up and stretching his arms and back cautiously. He noticed her watching him. 

_Was her interest purely clinical_, he wondered. 

"The_ mug_ Zack," she said, bringing his attention back to it. 

"Of course, I'm sorry. I'm not usually this absent-minded," he apologized and took a fresh look at the mug. "Amazing," he said, touching the mug and looking at it from all sides. "Except for its size, it looks exactly the same," he said dumbfounded. "Does the weight increase proportionately? Because I don't think I'd try and lift it right now," he admitted. 

"Yes it does; in fact, this spell increases every aspect of an object in equal proportion." 

"How do you control the size?" 

"Good question," she said in teacher mode. "When you cast any spell, it is critical that you - as the caster - have in mind exactly the outcome you want." 

"So, I guess there is more to being a wizard than just…doing it, huh?" 

"To say the least," she replied. 

"What's the stick for?" he asked, gesturing toward her hand. 

"I forgot how little you know," she said, and then realizing how that sounded, quickly added, "about magic of course." He waved away her comment, and Hermione continued. 

"It's called a wand, and every wizard needs one in order to control the use of magic. Most wizards can perform magic without one, but the results are highly erratic and rarely effective." 

"My head is swimming, trying to make sense of all of this," he admitted, shaking his head. 

"I think that's enough for today," she said putting her wand away inside her robe. "It's time I went anyway. I'm sure your parents will be in any moment." 

"Err, okay, um…It was nice to meet you, and thanks for everything. You know it's nice to see such a pretty face attached to such an intelligent mind," he ended and Hermione blushed furiously. _What the hell am I saying?_

"Please wait, I'm sorry about that. I…I didn't mean to say that out loud to be honest -- it just came out," he added lamely. "Maybe it's the head wound I suffered," he said swooning a little for dramatic effect. 

She looked at him, clearly dubious. "Men," putting her hands on her hips, "can't live with them, can't spell them into a rock wall." Then she smiled and they both laughed. "It's okay really; in fact, I'm flattered. I don't often hear compliments at Hogwarts. While I hold the staff in the utmost respect, most of them are…not anywhere near my age." 

"In other words, you're saying they're all really old and wouldn't be interested in a beautiful young woman such as yourself…in _that way_." 

She gave him a reproachful look and Zack winced…_Ouch_. 

"You're quite a flirt aren't you?" she asked mildly amused. 

"Only when properly motivated," he said with a winsome smile. 

"I think I will get back to work now. You and Elizabeth used up most of the _Sanguination_ potion I brewed yesterday." 

At her words his expression became thoughtful, "I seem to have lost sight of the fact that you saved my life." She flushed a bit but kept eye contact. 

"Madam Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore were also significantly involved in your treatment," she countered. 

"Of course, I will thank them in due course. But…I'm not sure how to say this…I don't understand how medicine works here; there seems to be a potion for everything. But from what I've heard from Madam Pomfrey, I believe I owe my life to you," he said earnestly. Hermione looked a bit nervous at the intensity of his words. Zack added, "I won't forget it." 

Hermione responded a little sheepishly, "Madam Pomfrey may be exaggerating a little bit; anyway, making potions is my job." She rose to leave and added, "We will talk more soon," then walked toward the door. 

"I surely hope so," he said, and she turned and smiled and walked out the double-door. 

_I hope I didn't scare her off,_ he thought to himself. _I wonder if she's attached?_ He shook his head and decided not to speculate about that just now; he had enough confusion in his life, without worrying about some jealous wizard after his hide. 

Now that he was alone, he reflected on the events of the past hour. While he was still confused, he was most glad to hear that Bethie…Elizabeth, he corrected himself…was okay. The rest was just something to sort through he decided. In his head he started creating a list of questions to ask: How is it that Elizabeth is okay? How did I heal so fast? What is a _Sanguination_ potion? Why weren't he and Elizabeth in a proper hospital? He was getting dizzy thinking of all the questions and laid back onto his pillows. 

He heard the door open and sat up. He saw his parents and his aunt and uncle enter the room. They looked exhausted, but relieved. 

"Oh Zack," his mother said with uncharacteristic gentleness. "We were so worried when you and Elizabeth didn't return, we didn't know what to think, and then we received the news of your accident…". She put her hand, which clutched a well-used handkerchief, to her face and continued. "You looked so hurt…" she choked up and couldn't continue; his dad put his hands on her shoulders and continued for her. 

"We could tell the accident was bad. Your right arm was shattered, and you had several deep lacerations on your head and arms. You looked so terribly pale; we feared the worst," he ended ominously. Zack was shocked to hear this account because he felt fine…and he shouldn't be fine. 

"I am so sorry to have put you through this," he apologized, looking first at his parents and then at his aunt and uncle. "I don't know what happened. We were doing fine, having a great time when some car, I think it was a car, hit us, and the rest is a blur." 

"It was a green VW bug that hit you," his uncle interjected. "It's too bad they won't remember it -- it may have taught them a good lesson," he said shaking his head. 

"Why won't they remember it?" 

"The Ministry had to obliviate the whole scene, of course," he answered. Noticing Zack's bewildered look he added, "We can't have Muggles going around telling everyone what you did, can we?" 

"Obliviate? What are you talking about?" Zack asked getting a little agitated. 

"Zack, you need to stay calm. You are still healing," his aunt broke in. 

Zack shook his head. "I'm sorry to get worked up. I just feel so awful that Bethie almost…" Zack started to tear up again at the thought of all the blood at the scene, Bethie's blood.... His mom come over and hugged him. 

His aunt, with bright eyes, said "But she is fine and it was you that saved her life, so please stop blaming yourself." 

His uncle added. "How you saved her no one knows for sure. One thing is clear, it was some very powerful magic, magic unheard of before. We never knew that you…" 

"Perhaps we should not burden him with so much information, so soon," Albus Dumbledore interrupted, with a hint of power in his voice. 

Startled by his sudden appearance, Zack watched as Dumbledore walked over towards his bed. Curiously he noticed that no one else seemed particularly surprised. 

"It was remarkable, Albus. And the Ministry…" his uncle tried to continue but Dumbledore cut him off again. 

"Please, Lawrence. I will be speaking at length with the boy. There is plenty of time for research and questions later." Beckoning to Zack's aunt, Albus continued, "Why don't you say your good byes for now so Zack can get some rest? I am sure Madam Pomfrey would agree." He glanced toward the corner of the room where Madam Pomfrey was now heading toward them. 

"I certainly do agree. He needs his rest now. So please leave him in our hands. You can see him again tomorrow," she said brusquely. 

His aunt and uncle said their goodbyes, followed by his parents. 

"We love you very much, Zack," his mother said, still appearing so fragile to him. Her fragility unnerved him as much as anything else. "Before I forget, I've been taking care of your cat for you." 

"You rest son, and do what Madam Pomfrey tells you," his father added, leading his wife toward the door. 

"I love you guys too. I'll see you tomorrow." Zack said, watching them file out. 

"Polly, I think we should allow just one more visitor before we administer the sleep potion, don't you think?" Dumbledore asked with a wink. "Would you mind?" Madam Pomfrey left and soon returned with a familiar blond girl who ran toward Zack as soon as she entered the room. 

"ZACK!" she yelled and ran into his outstretched arms, hugging him with all her strength. "You're okay," she said happily. 

Overcome with emotion for moment, he finally managed to say, "I was fine until that bear hug you just gave me." 

"Am I hurting you?" She looked at him with concern. 

"No, I'm only joking. You can hug me as long as you like," he said. He took a good look at her. "You look all healed," he said in astonishment, noticing only barely discernible cuts and bruises. "Let me see your head," he directed. She leaned in and he carefully looked all over her scalp and saw absolutely no evidence of the skull fracture. "Remarkable," he said at last. 

"Thank you," she said mischievously. 

"I see your sense of humor hasn't changed," Zack quipped, and smiled. 

"I think that is enough for now," Dumbledore interjected. "Elizabeth, would you mind heading back to your room now? You need to get some rest too," he instructed. 

"Okay, Headmaster. I love you, Zack," she said shyly, and turned to go. 

"I love you too, Elizabeth." 

"She's a remarkable girl," Dumbledore said favorably, as they watched her leave the room. 

"Yes she is, she really is," Zack agreed. "Can we talk now? I have a list of questions swimming in my mind." 

"Tomorrow Zack, I promise. Right now you need to rest," he said, gesturing to Madam Pomfrey who brought over another mug of something. "Now I want you to drink all of this, and try not to worry about anything. We will have nice long chat tomorrow," he promised. 

"I guess that will have to do," Zack reluctantly agreed and drank the potion. This potion was quite different from the first one, gentler, more soothing. A hint of chamomile, he thought, and faded off to sleep. 

  


* * *

  


_ "It is your choice, you can only save one," a steely voice said without a hint of compassion. "However, both will most certainly die if you do not do exactly as I say," the man warned, his eyes flashing dangerously. _

"But, how can I choose…I won't choose…" 

"I WILL NOT CHOOSE!" Zack yelled and sat straight up in his bed, sweat pouring off of him. 

"My heavens!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed, grabbing a bottle off of her desk and a mug from a nearby cabinet, moving quickly to his side. "You are sweating like a troll in summertime, dear. Drink this now," she ordered, filling his mug with a pine-scented liquid. 

"But I want to be awake. I have so many questions," he pleaded while gathering himself. 

"It's not a sleep potion, dear. It's a restorative with a just a wee bit of calming potion to relax you. Now, drink up," she insisted. 

"Okay. Thank you," he muttered and drank the potion. He made a note that he would need to do some serious research on potion making. 

Now that he was awake, he couldn't remember his nightmare. All he remembered was his utter panic and that _voice…_

Just then his stomach growled loudly and he realized he was absolutely famished. But before he could even draw attention to his hunger, two small, odd-looking … creatures came in and provided a most respectable repast, and left without a word. They startled him so much he didn't even thank them. He'd never seen such odd physical birth defects before, and for two of them to have similar defects was unbelievable: pointed ears, very small, long thin fingers, big flat feet. Still, they were very nimble. Zack shook it off and tore into his food. Everything was delicious -- French toast, bangers, croissants, and coffee, _thank the Goddess._

"Ahhh, real French roast…. mmmm," he said quite happily to himself. No matter how much he ate and drank, and he did plenty of both, there was always more. Very odd, he thought, but he wasn't going to argue, at least not just now. After a good solid half-hour of gorging himself, he sat back feeling very full. Before he could call attention to his dirty dishes, the creatures came back, cleaned up, and left. 

"Thank you," he called after them. They stopped for a moment, looked at each other, then scurried off with a scared backwards glance at him. 

Shaking his head, he looked up to see Albus Dumbledore entering the room, looking quite chipper. 

"Good morning, Zack. I trust you slept well," he said with a smile, and pulled up a chair. "I believe I promised you some answers." He paused and said, "Dragon's Blood, Wronski Feint, and billiwigs." 

"What?" Zack asked, completely at a loss. 

"Those are some answers I know." 

_This guy was seriously off his rocker._

"Are you comfortable?" Albus asked. Zack nodded warily. "Very well then, let's begin." 

"Zack, I spoke with your parents at length about your life up until now, so I know a great deal about you," he started. "In short, you are a wizard, just as I am. I believe it is important to address this first as it clearly is the most important issue." He looked Zack straight in the eyes. Zack couldn't believe what he was hearing, but the look in Dumbledore's eyes left no doubt that he was serious. 

"Well, Hermione showed me a spell yesterday, but I still can't believe that I am a 'wizard?' When it comes to magic, I think of hocus pocus, rabbit out of the hat, Siegfried and Roy…" 

Dumbledore looked over his glasses at Zack's remarks. "Please, let us not discuss those two…although I do like white tigers and Las Vegas." 

"Las Vegas?" 

"But of course, it's not just for Muggles. But I think we are getting off topic." 

Zack was taken aback at the thought of Dumbledore on the Strip, but shifted back to their discussion. "Do my parents know?" 

"Your parents are more aware of the magical world than you are. They sheltered you from it, because they believed you to be a Muggle, like they are. A Muggle is our word for people without magic." 

"How is it my parents know so much about this and I don't?" 

"Zack, your uncle is a wizard and your aunt and Elizabeth are both witches. In fact, you have wizards and witches on your father's side of the family, as well. You have been to your aunt and uncle's house, yes? I'm certain you have seen that they are…different." 

Zack nodded, sitting in rapt attention. 

"I know becoming a wizard all of the sudden is hard to accept; it is also hard for us to understand." Albus stood up and started to walk slowly around his bed. "Perhaps some background information may be helpful. Usually a person's talent manifests itself at a very young age. Convincing a child that they are magical is quite easy, as they are more trusting than adults and readily accept their gift. To be honest, I have never come across anyone that first demonstrates their magical abilities at your age," Dumbledore said honestly, pushing his glasses up his nose. "There have been a couple of incidents where a person with very limited magical ability was miscast, but this is quite different." 

"How is my case different?" Zack interrupted. 

"There are ways to tell the relative level of power a wizard or witch has. It is far from exact, but in general one can find out if someone has great power or limited power or somewhere in between." Looking at Zack over his glasses he said quite seriously, "You have a significant amount of power, which makes it even stranger how you could have been missed all these years." 

"Did my parents mention my unusual photographic memory?" 

Dumbledore nodded. 

"Do you think that could be…magic?" 

"I have been giving that a great deal of thought. It is my personal opinion they are linked. But your unusual memory is not magical, per se." 

Zack thought he was leading somewhere but Dumbledore stopped and gestured for Zack to continue. "Other than that, I have been pretty normal. So what happened? How is it that one day I'm a…Muggle and the next I'm a wizard?" 

"I'm hoping that you can help me determine that. Please tell me everything you can remember about the day of the accident, and leave nothing out, no matter how inconsequential." 

Zack proceeded to tell him everything he could remember. Dumbledore stopped him several times and asked questions to better understand the circumstances. He smiled as Zack related his meeting with the Weasleys and, of course, was particularly interested in how he had healed Elizabeth. 

"As you replayed the operation over and over in your mind did you feel any…resistance or pain?" Dumbledore asked. 

"Now that you mention it, I do recall thinking that some barrier was there, but I was practically in shock from my own wounds so I can't be sure," Zack stopped, unsure how to proceed. 

"Please continue. I know this is difficult, but I believe this is very important. Just say whatever pops into your head," Albus suggested. 

"Well…" Zack paused and rubbed his chin. "Right before I passed out, I remember feeling like I was pushing and pushing on something and I felt…wait a minute, I actually heard a shriek as something gave way. That's when I saw Elizabeth's head wound heal. Then I passed out." 

"Very interesting! There have been rumors around for many years of a suppression spell for magic. I never gave it much credence, but given what you described, I believe you may have been the victim of one," he said. "It is curious that someone was able to mask your magical ability for all of these years. But if you were a threat to someone, why would they go to this trouble instead of just killing you?" 

Zack blanched. "Kill me?!" 

"I believe it would take a powerful witch or wizard to suppress your magical ability, and someone that powerful would have no trouble killing you… Hmmm," he paused. "I need to think on this. In any case, I wouldn't worry about it right now; I believe you are safe for the time being. You have more questions, I'm sure?" 

_No need to worry about it, easy for him to say._ He didn't know whether to be relieved or frightened, but decided to plow ahead. "I have a lot of questions, too many, but…I guess the one question I need to know is…what now?" 

"Ahhh, what indeed? Zack, I cannot pretend to know what you are going through, but you have to understand that you are a wizard now, and you cannot just go back to your former life. For that I am sorry," Dumbledore said soothingly. "But with the amount of magic you have, you need to be trained in how to use it, and, more importantly, how to control it. An untrained wizard is a very dangerous thing. If you get angry or scared, you might kill or hurt someone with just a thought. Furthermore, it is also in our best interest to keep our presence a secret from the Muggle community." 

"I can understand that. People fear what they cannot understand. Fear quickly turns to hate, and hate turns to violence," Zack summarized. 

"Very succinctly put," Albus said approvingly. 

"Given your age and education, I do not feel that I can dictate what you must do," he said looking at his hands. 

"I sense a 'but' coming on," Zack said. 

Dumbledore smiled at him. "Unfortunately we do not have any program to teach someone your age from 'scratch,' I believe is the term." Zack nodded warily at this and Dumbledore continued, "It is my intention that you attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a first-year student." 

"What exactly does that entail?" Zack asked worriedly. 

"I will not lie to you. Every first year will be 11 years old, so you will definitely be noticed. That cannot be helped, but I believe this awkwardness will dissipate quickly as everyone becomes involved in their studies." 

"Hogwarts, again…I've heard that before…Elizabeth!" he exclaimed. "That's where she is going to go to school isn't it?" 

"Yes she is," Dumbledore said and smiled at him. 

Going to school with Elizabeth -- that would certainly be interesting. But a 33-year old among a bunch of 11-year olds would grow tiresome quite quickly. He looked up and saw Dumbledore patiently watching him. _What a strange guy._ But deep down Zack knew that Albus was not a person whose counsel should be taken lightly. Zack had always gone with his instincts when making a decision -- that was how he ended up at Oxford Med, which turned out pretty well. _Magic_, he shook his head, _I have magic._ Perhaps this was the "destiny" he thought had been missing. Zack knew what he needed to do and was honestly excited at the prospect, even if he was more than a little apprehensive. He looked at Dumbledore again who was smiling. _Could he read my mind?_

"Can I bring my cat?" 

Dumbledore chuckled. "Of course you may, if the cat won't mind." 

Zack thought on that. _Would Russell even like this place? What have I done?_

"You are making the right choice, Zack. You will love Hogwarts. It is an interesting place." Zack somehow knew that was a vast understatement. 

"Okay then, I've made my decision, now what? What about my hospital?" he remembered suddenly. "I can't just leave them in the lurch like this." 

"Zack, do not be alarmed. I have taken the liberty of speaking with the director of the hospital and they have been made aware of your situation," he said slyly. 

"You told them I'm a wizard!" Zack said incredulously. 

"Not exactly. Let's just say they understand you will be away for a while. If you want, they might welcome you back during the summer breaks." 

"You knew what my decision would be, didn't you?" Zack accused. 

Dumbledore ignored his question. "Given your almost complete lack of knowledge of our world, I have a suggestion as to how you can spend the last two weeks before term starts." 

"And that would be?" Zack prompted. 

"Arthur and Molly Weasley have agreed to put you up at their house. To be honest, they were thrilled at the prospect. They raised a family of seven wizards, and therefore can impart a great deal of information about our world. Arthur works for the Ministry of Magic and so can fill you in on all the rules and regulations governing the wizarding world. Molly is…well…she is a woman that will see to it that you are ready for the start of term. I think this arrangement offers something for all of you. You won't be completely at a loss when you arrive at Hogwarts, and they will have a chance to take care of someone again, if only for a short time." 

"That sounds workable," Zack said while still feeling a bit apprehensive. "Before you leave, what is the deal with Arthur?" 

"Arthur has always been interested in Muggles. He was head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts section for many years, and the interest seems to have stuck. He is now the Deputy Minister of Magic. I think you will have an interesting time." Dumbledore rose to leave. 

"Thank you…for everything I guess," Zack said lamely. Dumbledore acknowledged him with a nod of his head and departed. _Why does it feel like I've just been hoodwinked?_

  


* * *

Thanks again to Crow, Juliane and Lillith for proofreading and other editorial help.  
Thanks also to the people who have been kind enough to send reviews. 


	4. Chapter 4 Moving on

Late for School  
Chapter 4

By Archie Leach 

* * *

_Disclaimer: The characters are Rowling's. Zack and the plot are mine. No money is being made._

* * *

  


Zack awoke to the smell of eggs Benedict, croissants, and coffee. _ I could get used to this. _ He reached over and grabbed a croissant and put a goodly amount of strawberry marmalade on it and took a voracious bite. He added cream to his coffee and carefully sipped a bit of it. As he was busy eating his eggs Benedict, he noticed an envelope of heavy yellowish parchment, sealed in wax decorated with a crest of some sort, different animals surrounding a letter "H." It was addressed in the following way:

_Mr. Zack Flood  
Oxford Wizard Hospital  
Section 2, Bed 4_

"How odd," he said aloud, opening the envelope. 

_ Dear Mr. Flood,_

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. 

Term begins on September 1st. Please be at Kings Cross Train Station, Platform 9 ¾ at precisely 11 AM to catch the Hogwarts Express.

Yours sincerely, 

Minerva McGonagall,   
Deputy Headmistress 

_Platform 9 ¾? Minerva McGonagall…I wonder if that is Manus's sister?_ He remembered his mother's description of her from dinner the other day…_coincidence? _ He counted off the number of days since that dinner; it was hard to believe that it was just five days ago. He wondered if his parents knew Minerva worked at Hogwarts. 

He proceeded to unfold the second page, which read as follows: 

_ Uniform   
First-year students will require:   
Three sets of plain work robes (black) One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar) One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings) Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags _

Course Books

All students should have a copy of each of the following: 

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk   
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot   
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling   
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch   
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phylllida Spore   
An Idiot's Guide to Potion Making by Severus Snape  
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander   
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble   
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger  


Other Equipment

1 wand   
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)   
1 set glass or crystal phials   
1 telescope   
1 set brass scales 

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad 

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS 

He chuckled at that last bit. _I guess they don't trust us to clean our own rooms. _

He went back over the list: three black work robes…_that explained the penchant for robes. They started them young._ He read the course book titles and took a particular interest in the potion-making books -- _that ought to list a few of things I've been imbibing for the last two days. _

_I bet Mrs. Weasley knows where to pick up this stuff,_ he thought hopefully. It was good to see confirmation about his soon-to-be uprooted feline. _All right Russell, it's you me against the world. _

"I'm sorry to interrupt your reading sir, but I was wondering if you would like a bath?" a creature similar to the ones that bring him breakfast asked in a wavering voice. 

"A bath…that's sounds wonderful!" he said zestfully and seeing the creature cringe he softened his tone. "Yes I would, thank you. Please lead the way." The creature led him through the double doors to a very nice bathroom with heated floors, real torches for lighting, and a big steaming bathtub full of bubbles, framed against a curtained window. "This looks wonderful, thank you. What's your name?" he asked politely. 

"Name, sir?" he croaked nervously. 

"Uh, yes…my name is Zack." He added, hoping to ease the creature's apprehension. 

The creature's eyes shifting all around, and it finally uttered, "Filby, sir," before he quickly left the room. 

I hope it's not abused, he thought. I can't imagine that Dumbledore would let that happen here, he convinced himself. Then taking off his hospital gown, he descended into the bath. _Ahhhhhh._ It was hot, but a good kind of hot, the kind a recently healed person needed to wash off the grime of healing injuries. He appraised his relative state of well being. His wounds were just pink skin now and his lacerations appeared to be fading, although it looked like he would have a small scar on his forehead -- a_ small reminder._ He laid back and enjoyed just soaking in the bath for a while. Absent-mindedly going over the list in his head,_ a wand, two cauldrons, glass or crystal phials, a telescope, a set of brass scales, wizard textbooks, robes._ Before he knew it, he had nodded off. 

"Wake up, sleepy head," he heard a vaguely familiar female voice say loudly…and inside the bathroom. 

"Mrs. Weasley," he said shocked and a little embarrassed, checking surreptitiously to see that his "parts" were reasonably hidden. "I'm in the bath tub!" 

She dismissed his protestations. "Don't be silly, I've raised six boys," she offered as explanation. 

Still blushing he said, "But I'm not one of them." 

She interrupted him. "You are for the next two weeks, dear." Noticing his reluctance, she gave him his towel and added, "Since you insist on being so shy, I'll wait outside, but let's get a move on. We have lots to do. Oh, and Zack dear," she turned back to him, "I went to your apartment and got some clean clothes for you—not that there were many clean clothes to choose from." She frowned at him. "They are on the chair," she said and indicated a chair near the sink. Then she left. 

Zack struggled to a standing position, still feeling stiff. _What have I done?_ He hurriedly groomed himself and put on jeans, a white T-shirt, blue socks and running shoes. He'd worn worse looking ensembles before and it was nice of her to try at least, he thought and headed back to his room. Madam Pomfrey greeted him as he entered. 

"Professor Dumbledore has decided you can check out today," she clipped. "I think another day would have been prudent, but what do I know." She headed over to her desk. 

After a moment, Zack drifted over toward her desk. "Do you really think I should stay another day? If you do, I will request it." She looked up at him, astonished, and Zack added, "This is _your_ hospital, so I think it should be your decision. You were instrumental in saving not only my life, but my cousin's life as well. This is not a debt I will ever forget." 

Blushing, she fussed with some items on her desk for a moment. "It has been my privilege to help you and Elizabeth. What you did to save that girl's life was nothing short of miraculous, and I have written to tell my sister about it. But while I believe one more night would be helpful, it is not necessary." She paused for moment, shook her head and asked, "Would you do me a favor?" 

"Anything, just name it." 

"My sister runs the hospital at Hogwarts and is a remarkable physician. I think you should work with her to hone and refine your wizarding medical skills. Who knows, you may be able to launch an entirely new branch of wizarding medicine?" she exclaimed. 

Stunned, Zack stood for a moment, "I honestly think you said more just now than you did the entire time I was here," he teased. She blushed a little, giggled, and waved him off with her hand. "If you think it's best I'll do it -- but honestly, I have no idea what I did." 

"Don't you worry about that, if it's there, Poppy will find it," she said firmly. 

"Okay then, I'll do my best…and thanks again for everything." 

Still red in the cheeks, she said, "Your parents dropped a small bag for you to pack your things. They are all waiting for you in the great room, down the hall past the bathroom and to your right. You can't miss it." 

He went and packed his few belongings, which included the letter to Hogwarts, and headed for the great room. He took one last look around and headed out the door. 

A host of people was waiting for him, some of whom he didn't recognize. 

"You look so much better honey," his mother said hugging him. Zack noticed she looked much better than the other day too. 

"Thanks, I…" Zack started. 

"Remarkable work they do here," his dad added, looking him over. "Truly amazing." 

"Yes, I…" 

His Aunt Felicia moved in, "Were very happy you are okay Zack. What you did for Elizabeth…well…" she couldn't finish as her eyes filled. 

"It was my…" 

"Zack, look! You made the front page of _The Daily Prophet,_" cried his uncle, shoving a paper at him. "It's all the Ministry is talking about…" 

"Pardon me, Larry. I'm Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, a pleasure to meet you. Perhaps if you have a moment…" 

"Well, maybe…" 

"A quote for _The Daily Prophet,_ sir?" a young man asked. 

"What?" 

"WILL EVERYONE PLEASE BE QUIET FOR A MOMENT?" Dumbledore's voice boomed above the quickly receding din. "Thank you. Zack, perhaps you should say a few words?" 

Zack flushed. "Thank you. I'm frankly overwhelmed. I don't know what to say." 

"Is it true you will be attending Hogwarts as a first-year, even though you are 33 years old?" the young man from _The Daily Prophet_ asked. 

"Yes, Headmaster Dumbledore convinced me that it would be best if I…" 

"Are you saying he's forcing you to attend Hogwarts?" 

"No! Not at all." Zack protested. _ I'm not ready for this._

"Why did you hide your magic all these years -- were you ashamed?" 

"Ashamed? I didn't even know I had magic!" Zack said, his voice starting to rise. 

Dumbledore interrupted firmly, "Perhaps it would be best if Zack were allowed to go home. Let's not forget he has only just recovered from severe injuries. If there are any questions, I will be happy to answer them." He smiled at the young reporter and motioned Zack to leave the room. 

"Zack," a voice whispered behind him. It was Hermione. She motioned him to come back into the infirmary. 

He walked away quickly, hoping that young reporter didn't follow him. "Thanks," he sighed with relief. "What the hell was that? And what is _The Daily Prophet_? I feel like I've been ambushed." 

"Maybe you should go and lie down," she said looking him over. 

"No I'm fine, just a little surprised, I guess." 

"I will get a restorative potion just in case," Hermione said starting to walk back towards the hospital wing. 

"No, I'm fine really…just a little surprised." 

"I'm amazed it got out of hand like that. _The Daily Prophet_ is the wizard newspaper, by the way. This reporter must be new," she said peeking out to see if the proceedings had finished. 

"Why do you think he's new?" 

"Well, a few years ago _The Prophet_ had a reporter that made a living with half-truths and innuendo. The paper was forced to fire her." She gave a satisfied smile. 

"Why are you smiling?" Zack asked curiously. 

"Oh, nothing. Since then, it has been a fairly reputable paper. It looks like that may have changed." 

"Well, then I guess I should thank you again for rescuing me." Zack noticed that she didn't have the robe on today and her dress was more appropriate for a hot day. 

"Oh please," she said rolling her eyes and then peered out between the double doors. "It looks like they are starting to file out." 

"Hold on a second." He said stopping her from opening the door. She looked at him quizzically. "You know I'm staying at the Weasley's for the next two weeks. Well, I was wondering if you might come and visit me – kind of a house call?" _Lame…lame._

She stared at him for a moment. "Well see," she said, smiling a little. "I have a great deal of work to do before start of term, but maybe I could pop in…just to make sure you're not getting into any more trouble. Besides, I haven't been to the Burrow – that's what we call the Weasley's house—for a while. It would be nice to visit again," she finished with a far away look in her eyes. 

"That would be great. Frankly, I'm a little nervous. Molly just walked in on me taking a bath, " Hermione started to laugh, "and Arthur practically had a relationship with my parent's water-sprinkler!" Hermione continued laughing and Zack chuckled along with her. _Damn, she is beautiful._

Gathering herself, Hermione said, "You don't need to worry, Molly's a dear and Arthur is just eccentric when it comes to Muggle artifacts.' "You should ask him about his 'plug' collection." She smiled again. 

Before Zack could respond, Hermione peered through the crack in the door and told him that Dumbledore was coming and opened the door for the Headmaster. 

"Thank you Hermione for so adeptly removing Zack from that fiasco," Dumbledore said, striding into the room. He turned to Zack. "I must apologize. I didn't know that would happen. Cornelius assured me that having a reporter there would help quell the wild rumors that have been spreading." 

"Wild rumors?" 

"No need to worry. I believe I was able to satisfy them for now." _ For now -- that didn't sound reassuring._ "Your family is outside in the car, ready to take you to your apartment. The Weasleys will meet you there and take you to their house." 

"So…this is really happening?" Zack said nervously. 

"Don't worry. You'll have a wonderful time at the Burrow. Who knows, maybe they'll have you de-gnome the garden for them?" Hermione said slyly. "I'll see you at Hogwarts in two weeks if I don't see you before. Take care." She then headed off back to the main part of the infirmary. 

"Thanks for everything, I'll see you soon." _ I'll see you soon…lame. _

"It's seems our Miss Granger has taken a liking to you," Dumbledore added with a twinkle in his eyes. 

"You think so?" Zack said hopefully. Dumbledore walked Zack out the front door and bid him goodbye. "Wait a minute, one last question…what's a de-gnoming?" 

Amused, Dumbledore said, "That's for me to know, and you to find out." 

  


* * *

  


As soon as Zack opened the door to his apartment, Russell bounded over and loudly and repeatedly _meowed _at him. 

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, you're right. I deserve to be severely chastised." He picked up the cat and scratched her thoroughly and was rewarded with low, but loud, rumbles of approval. "I missed you too." 

He looked around the flat and noticed how sad it looked. _ I can't believe I've lived here for almost eight years. _ It felt like a lifetime since he had been here. 

"Well, you're home," his father announced, walking through the door with Zack's mother. 

Zack turned. "I see you found a place to park." 

"There was a vacant meter space just a block away." 

Zack did not respond. He stood silently just inside the door facing away from his parents and moving his eyes around the flat. "I'm sorry for the mess. I wasn't expecting any visitors." 

"This place is disgraceful…I bet you could make the cover of _Bachelor Slob Monthly,_" his mother said flatly. 

Zack slowly smiled, turned and then quickly hugged his mother. "Now THAT is the Mom I know!" he exclaimed as they both laughed. 

"Well, I couldn't play the grief-stricken mother anymore. It was bad for my reputation." 

"Enough, you two," Zack's father interrupted, looking at his watch. "The Weasleys will be here in a little over two hours, so I suggest we get a move on." 

"Yes, sir," Zack cracked sharply and stood at attention. His father did not look amused. 

They spent the next hour and 45 minutes cleaning. Zack built an impressive pile of used scrubs in the middle of the living room. "I think we can dispose of these," he said distastefully. 

His mother turned around and looked disdainfully at the pile from the kitchen. "Don't you ever clean the kitchen?" his mother asked. 

"Your bathroom is nothing to be proud of either," Zack heard his father add. 

"Well…the hospital…and too tired," Zack mumbled, knowing he was only getting in deeper. His mother looked at him and shook her head as she took a bag of garbage out the front door. In the end, the place cleaned up pretty well. He was sure it was the cleanest it had ever been while he had lived here anyway. Zack was able to pack all of the belongings he felt he needed into two medium suitcases. 

"What do you want us to do with the rest of the stuff?" his father asked. 

"Well, I hadn't thought of that. I guess it doesn't make any sense to keep the place. Would you mind taking the stuff over to your house?" He asked trying to use his puppy-dog-eyes look. 

His mother seemed unimpressed. "We've already arranged it. If you like, I suppose you could live with us during the breaks." 

"Thanks. I hadn't thought of that either," Zack admitted and then looked nervously at his watch. _I'm doomed._

"Well, I think you have a pretty good reason for being a bit flustered," his father said and reached out to pat him on the shoulder. Zack looked up and gave him a wry smile. 

His mother chimed in. "This is not the end of the world, honey. Well, it might be, but don't forget that Elizabeth will be there to keep you out of trouble." 

"You should have been a comedienne," Zack said, rolling his eyes and checking his watch again. 

There was a knock on the door and Zack looked at both of his parents before stepping toward the door. _ I'm doomed._ He opened the door and the Weasleys were there, both with ear-to-ear grins. 

"You are looking so much better, dear," Molly said, stepping forward to pat him on the cheek. 

"Yes, I have to agree you look amazingly well given the severity of your injuries," Arthur said while poking his head inside the apartment. _A kid in a candy store,_ Zack thought amused. He noticed that Arthur was wringing his hands in anticipation. 

"May we…have a look around?" Arthur asked excitedly. 

"Arthur, behave yourself," Molly chastised him. "We have a great deal to do." 

Zack suddenly remembered he hadn't checked his answering machine since he'd been back. "It's okay with me if he looks around. In fact, I need to check my phone messages before we go. That may take a few minutes." 

Arthur was beside himself. "Phone messages? May I watch…please?" 

Zack had to laugh at Arthur who was staring at him with eyes as big as saucers. "Let me review them first, because a few may be personal. After that I will show you the machine." 

"Excellent, my boy, excellent." "Why don't we sit down and chat for a moment?" Zack's mother suggested. "You can fill us in on what you have planned for Zack. Would you like some tea? You do have tea Zack?" 

_I'm doomed. _ "Yes I have tea, Earl Grey, I think." 

"And cups?" his mother added and then smiled at him. 

"Yes, and cups." _ She can be such a pain in the neck sometimes._

His mother walked into the kitchen and Arthur was not far behind her. Zack headed into his bedroom. He saw the blinking light so he knew there was at least one message. The number six blinked on the machine. He played the first message—it was from Carrie asking him to call her and telling him she was naked. _While that was a nice picture, it seemed like a decade ago,_ he thought to himself. He found her number in his wallet and decided to call her back, but she wasn't home._ Just as well. _ He left her a nice message and told her he'd be somewhere without a phone for a while but would try to call her soon. 

The second message was from the hospital, confirming what Dumbledore had told him at the hospital and inviting him to stay in touch. Mick and Barney had called as well, requesting his presence for another night of debauchery. They urged him to not stay away so long again. He called them but their machine said they took the Chunnel to Paris for a couple of days. _C'est la vie. I'll call them er…or something, when I get settled._

The fourth message was Carrie again and the fifth message was a hang up. 

The last call was very odd. He heard breathing and then a mumbled voice say something just before it disconnected. He turned up the volume to high and listened three more times. The voice was faint but it sounded like, "He's not there master." _Or did he say mister?" _ Zack thought about having Arthur listen to the message, but decided against it. _ I'm just being paranoid – probably a telemarketer or something,_ he thought nervously. He erased the messages from Carrie, Barney and Mick, and the last one. He then opened the bedroom door and called Arthur to come in. 

Arthur walked in looking around everywhere. "That's a lamp," he said pointing to his bedside table and looking very proud of himself. 

"Yes, that's very good, Mr. Weasley." 

"Please call me Arthur." Arthur spied the clock radio. "What is that?" 

"It's a clock radio." 

"A clockradio? I know of clocks and of radios, but what is a clockradio?" 

"It's two words - clock and radio. It's a device that combines the functions of a clock with a radio." Seeing Arthur's dubious expression, he explained how Muggles use these devices to wake up in the morning instead of alarm clocks. 

"Muggles are so fascinating…always making things smaller or better or faster or more convenient. I often wonder why they never seem to be satisfied." 

Zack didn't know what to say to that so he remained silent. Arthur began to look around and spied the phone. "Ah yes, a telephone. I've used one of those before," he said confidently. "But what is that?" he asked pointing at the answering machine. 

"That's the telephone answering machine I mentioned early." 

"IS it? May I examine it?" Arthur asked while rubbing his hands together. 

"Hit..er..press the announcement button." Zack suggested. 

Arthur pressed the button and was astonished to hear Zack's voice. "How did you do that? Did you cast a _Ventril quisto_ spell?" 

"I'm sure I don't know what that is, but no. I told you, it's an answering machine." _That didn't help at all._ "I record my voice on a tape. When the phone rings—if I do not answer it—the machine answers the phone and plays my message." The look on Arthur's face reminded Zack of a confused dog. "The caller hears the message and leaves a…message." 

"What is a tape?" 

Zack spent the next several minutes explaining the purpose and workings of an answering machine, but not being technically adroit, he soon gave up. "You know what? I don't really know myself exactly how it works. But let's have some fun." Arthur looked at him questioningly and Zack smiled in return. 

"ARTHUR, where are you? We need to go," Molly said, and walked into the room. 

"Molly…it's me Arthur. I'm inside this machine." 

Molly approached the answering machine warily. "Arthur you come out of there this instant!" She moved her face just a few inches from the machine. "What happened? You were here, what happened?" she said loudly to Zack wagging her finger. 

"What is going on here?" Zack's mom said entering the room. 

"Arthur is trapped inside this machine!" Molly said pointing at the answering machine. 

"Zachary Flood, you end this charade immediately," his mother said sternly. 

"Ahh, you're no fun. Arthur come on out the jig is up." Zack said with a raised voice. The closet door opened slowly and a grinning Arthur Weasley stepped out. 

Molly looked exasperated. "I thought I was free of practical jokes when Fred and George left. I swear will you never grow up!" 

"But Molly, it was just a little fun," Arthur protested but Molly did not appear to be placated. 

"It's my fault Mrs. Weasley, don't blame Arthur." Zack gave her his sincere and apologetic look. 

Molly turned towards Zack and still looked miffed, but once she saw the look on his face she started to look flustered and smiled. "You're a charmer you are," she said and put her hands to her face. 

_Putty in my hands._ Zack then took a peek at his mother, who was glowering in his general direction. He acted like he didn't see her and turned towards Arthur. "Hey Arthur, would you like to have the machine?" 

Arthur looked amazed at his offer. "Could I…you don't mind…Molly?" 

"Can this thing hurt him?" Molly asked Zack. 

"No, once it's disconnected from electricity it's harmless. But then again it won't work either. Arthur, you know once I unplug it, it won't work anymore?" He nodded. 

"We'll just see about that," he said with an odd gleam in his eyes and clutched the answering machine to his chest. 

"Arthur!" Molly said, her voice rising and tapping her foot. He looked at her with a guilty expression and she said, "You better not be thinking what I think you are thinking." 

"I've learned my lesson, Molly," Arthur said, none too convincingly. 

She just "chuffed" at him. "Let's go," she said, and left the room. 

_I'm doomed._

Zack and Arthur walked out of the bedroom. Zack's parents were near the door with Molly standing next to them, her arms crossed over her chest. _ Boy, the next two weeks should be a real hoot._

"Have you seen the cat?" Zack asked suddenly, looking around. 

"She was on the windowsill in the kitchen a few minutes ago," his mom said, looking around as well. 

Getting the cat into the cat-carrier was always as a chore. The last time Zack did it he had cat scratches that took over a week to heal. _I believe a little subterfuge is called for, _Zack thought, and walked into the kitchen. He pushed the electric can opener so it "whirred," but the cat was nowhere to be seen. _Getting wise are we? All right then, it's time to bring out the heavy artillery._ He opened the cabinet and removed a can of tuna from the shelf. He looked around and still didn't see the cat. He put the can under the can opener and started to open it. _ Is that a tail I see twitching under the sofa?_ Next, he put the tuna on a small plate, and, before he could put it on the floor, Russell came sprinting into the kitchen with a loud _meow._

"You are so easy," Zack said, scratching the cat's head. Zack retrieved the carrier from the bedroom and was able to get the cat inside with only one scratched wrist. 

_It's time to go. _ Zack took one last look around and headed for the door. He gave his parents his keys, hugged his mom and shook his dad's hand. "Well, I guess this is it." He noticed that a bright-eyed and smiling Molly was watching him. _ She's just a big softy._ He smiled back at her and they all walked out of the flat. His dad closed the door behind them. 

Zack's parents said their goodbyes, promised to write, and walked off toward their car. He watched them go and then turned towards the Weasleys. Molly had her arm around Arthur's waist and Arthur had his arm around her shoulders. They were both looking at him with endearing looks on their faces. Zack's face turned a shade of pink. "Shall we go now?" They nodded in reply. "Where is your car?" 

"Oh, we are not going by car," Arthur said and started walking. "The Ministry has a house nearby for use in…situations like this." 

_Help…I need somebody - help._

"We arranged for a Portkey to be set up." Molly said. 

_Portkey?_

"Don't be worried, Zack. We've done it many times. Albus will be there to meet us as well," Arthur said trying to sound reassuring. 

Zack had no idea what to say so he just walked along with them. 

_…and the condemned man slogged his last steps on the way to the gallows…_

"There is the house now," Molly said pointing to a small row house tucked in behind a hotel. 

It wasn't in very good condition and was very small. _This does not fill me with confidence._ But his jaw dropped open when they walked in and the house looked like a stylish five-bedroom mansion. He walked back outside and then came back inside. He repeated this several times while the Weasley's watched him patiently. Finally, Zack decided to get on with it and entered the house one more time, setting the cat crate down gently on the marble floor in the entryway. 

"How is this so…so…big?" Zack managed to ask. 

Mrs. Weasley smiled at him. "Magic, o' course. Don't worry dear, you'll get use to it." 

_Or I'll wake up in a mental institution._

"The Portkey is set to work at 3:30 PM, so we have half an hour to relax." Arthur announced looking at his timepiece. "I wonder where Albus is?" They all sat down and waited in silence. 

"Zack, would you like to know what a Portkey is?" 

"Sure. Why not?" 

"How about I make us some tea while we wait?" Molly suggested. 

'That would be nice, dear," Arthur said. 

"Would you see if they have anything a bit stronger?" Zack asked. 

"Tea is good for you, Zack." Molly lectured and quickly left the room. 

_Mothers._ "That room over there looks like it might have something…do you mind?" 

"You are a braver man than I. And no, I don't mind." 

Zack walked across the hardwood floors to what looked like a study or a library. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves covered the walls of the room, while a deep purple area rug with several chairs and a table on it occupied the center of the room. _Very impressive…but where's the booze?_ He looked around, hoping the liquor wasn't hidden in some secret place. In one of the corners he noticed what looked like an old fashioned upright bar, and as he approached it he noticed it was made of beautifully hand-carved inlaid wood. He opened the doors and was rewarded with a vision of beautiful bottles filled to various heights with amber, clear, brown, and even black liquids. _ I think I'll skip the black one._ He picked up one of the crystal decanters with a light colored amber liquid. He removed the stopper and took a tentative sniff. 

"Whoa!" he said out loud. 

"What was that Zack?" he heard Mr. Weasley call from the other room. 

"I think I found what I was looking for," Zack said, eyeing the decanter appreciatively. 

"That's good." 

Zack took a small rocks glass from the shelf above the bottles and poured some of the "ambrosia" in the glass. _ Beautiful._ Zack liked ale as much as the next guy…well, not if the next guy was Barney or Mick, but he adored a good single-malt Scotch. _ I wonder if this is whisky? Oh well, who cares? _ He took a drink and sighed in contentment at the intense burn. No sooner had the glass been emptied he refilled again. _ Now that feels so much better._ He put the stopper back in the decanter and closed up the bar. He then walked back over to the sitting room. 

"I believe we were discussing Portkeys?" Zack said, a good deal more relaxed. 

Arthur eyed the glass suspiciously but said, "Ah yes, a Portkey is a device that will, at a pre-determined time, transport anyone touching it to a specific location. In this case, that location would be our house." 

_That actually sounded rational, in an irrational physics-doesn't-exist-anymore kind of way._ "Thank you. That sounds, er…reasonable. What does a Portkey look like?" 

Arthur responded, "It can be anything, because it's the spell that matters. For example, this answering machine could be a Portkey. However, usually they are worthless items, so the wrong person doesn't abscond with it." Arthur looked around suddenly at a sound behind him. 

"I hope you are not referring to me, Arthur." Zack heard a silky baritone voice say from the direction of the front door. 

"Severus, is that you?" Arthur asked. "I didn't hear the front door open." 

"That's because it was carelessly left open." 

Zack knew he forgot to close the door, but for some reason didn't really care. He looked up to see a man come into the sitting room. Dressed all in black with shiny black hair and pale skin, the man was carrying a Raggedy Ann doll. He didn't look very happy. In fact, he looked like he had an upset stomach. Zack guessed his age at around 40. 

"Please take this," he said, carelessly tossing the rag doll to Arthur. 

"Where is Albus?" Arthur asked. 

"Ministry business. I was compelled to fill in at the last minute. Apparently, Minerva is still on her spa vacation." 

_I wonder why Arthur is so flustered?_ Zack thought, taking another sip from his drink. The man looked at him but said nothing. _What an asshole. _

"Well, this has been fascinating, but I have better things to do," Severus said, turning towards the door. 

"Did I hear the door?" Molly said as she entered the room. Seeing Severus she burst into tears, ran to him, and hugged him fiercely. The man looked like a trapped animal. 

"Please Molly. Let me go. I do not hug." The man struggled in vain to free himself and finally gave up, standing resignedly in her embrace. 

Between sobs, she stammered, "Y.y.y.you…you…ss.s.s. saved my s.s.s.son." 

"Molly, really, this is most unbecoming. I did what I had to do," Severus said, looking at Zack for the first time and then back to Arthur. "Arthur, can't you do something?" 

"Are you kidding?" 

"How about _you_ then?" He asked, looking and speaking to Zack for the first time. 

"Now you speak to me? You're on your own." 

Finally Molly finally loosened her grip on Severus, and he disentangled himself with all the grace he could muster. 

"Why have you been avoiding us?" Molly asked him, her eyes all puffy. "We owe you so much for what you did for…for…Ron." 

"I did what I had to do. I need no thanks or recognition," he answered, smoothing out his black jacket and pants. 

_This guy is so full of shit. Who was he kidding?_

"What do you have there?" Severus asked Zack, indicating the glass he was holding. 

"To be honest, I have no idea. But it's damn good," Zack answered, taking another sip. 

"May I see it?" Severus asked, walking over to Zack. 

He certainly was tall enough, Zack noticed. "Certainly," Zack responded handing him the glass. The man looked at it and gave it sniff. 

"Old Ogden's 100 year is my guess," Severus said arrogantly. "Fetch me a glass." 

"My name is Zack Flood, if you were wondering," Zack supplied, getting up a little unsteadily. 

"I was not wondering. However, if you must know, my name is Severus Snape, Professor of the Study of the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." 

"Hogwarts? I'll be attending there this year." 

"Surely you must be joking? Are you some kind of visiting professor from America then?" he said with distaste. 

_What a pompous ass._ "No - a student." 

"Ah yes, now I remember. The Headmaster mentioned something about an older student being admitted this year. I take it you are he." 

"Yes, I am he," Zack answered with a bow, and started to head back to the library. He stopped and turned. "You might want to cool it with the attitude a bit. Your act is getting a little thin." Zack smiled and continued into the library to get the drink. He swore he could feel the steam coming from Snape's ears. _Damn, this stuff must be stronger than it looks!_

When he returned he saw a red-faced Snape and a very nervous looking Molly and Arthur. 

Molly walked up to Zack. "You should be nice to the Professor. He saved my son's life and he will be one of your professors at Hogwarts next year." 

_Well, I never did like things easy,_ Zack thought. He gave the fuming Snape his drink and said, "My apologies, good sir. A pox upon me for a clumsy lout." Zack laughed at himself. 

Snape took a good size swig of his drink, and then said in very measured tones, "How many of these have you had?" 

"This is my third…I think." Zack sat down and noticed he was having trouble focusing his eyes for some reason. 

"I assume this is your first time drinking Old Ogden's?" Snape said with amusement. 

Zack nodded and Snape smiled. _I think I like him better as the asshole._

Molly faced turned as red as her hair. "Arthur Weasley!" Arthur cringed. "How could you let him have Old Ogden's? And this his first time using a Portkey!" She was shouting and waggling her finger at him. "You know what will happen! I swear I can't leave you alone for even a minute! And don't think I'm ignoring you either," Molly said turning toward Zack. 

Zack just smiled at her and finished his drink. "I think I'll get one more," he said, and tried not too successfully to get up. "I think maybe my legssh are broke." 

"You have had quite enough!" Molly said, and walked over to take his glass. She looked at him and slowly started to shake her head. 

Snape watched the entire scene with a look of mirth on his face. "If he were not drunk, I would be most…unhappy. However, because he will likely remember little of this…and will suffer a good deal tomorrow," he smiled again, "I see no reason to hold his impertinent comments against him." He finished his drink and gave the glass back to Molly. "I am leaving now. Molly…Arthur, I consider myself duly thanked." 

Zack thought he saw the man in black leave. _Who was that?_

"Molly?" Arthur asked tentatively. 

"What is it?" she responded. 

"It's 3:28 PM, we need to get everything together." 

"We only have two minutes!" she shouted. She ran the glasses into the kitchen and quickly returned. "You know I hate leaving a place untidy – Arthur you should have spoken up sooner." 

"Yes dear…one minute." 

"Grab the bags. I'll get the cat." She walked over grabbed the cat crate a bit roughly. 

"MEOW!" Russell spoke up in protest. 

"Zack, ZACK!" a red-haired lady shouted at him. 

"Yessh" he slurred, looking bleary-eyed. 

"Oh dear…hold on to this doll, okay," she directed. 

"Pretty doll, yes?" Zack said, holding the doll in his arms. Arthur, holding the two suitcases and his clock radio, and Molly, with the cat carrier, stood practically on top of Zack, who was still sitting on the chair. They each had a hold of one of the doll's legs. 

"Ready?" Arthur said, looking at his timepiece. 

"For what?" Zack asked. But before anyone could answer, he felt a massive lurch and he suddenly found himself sitting on grass. 

"Well, we're home," Molly announced. "How do you feel Zack?" 

Zack's head was spinning and his stomach was displeased. "I don't feel so good," he mumbled and rolled over onto his knees. He crawled over to a promising looking shrub and heaved up his guts. 

"I knew this would happen," he heard Molly say behind him. "Well, don't just stand there…take the bags inside. I think he will be a while." 

"Yes dear," Arthur replied. 

"I hope you learned your lesson dear," Molly said, walking over and tenderly removing a twig from Zack's hair. 

Zack responded by heaving again into the bushes. Before he passed out, he could have sworn he saw little men yelling at him from between the branches. 

* * *

My thanks to Crow, Juliane, and Lillith for all their help. 

Thanks also to all who have reviewed. Additional comments would be most appreciated. 


	5. Chapter 5 At the Burrow

Late for School   
Chapter 5 

By Archie Leach 

* * *

_Disclaimer: The characters are Rowling's. Zack and the plot are mine. No money is being made._

* * *

The pounding grew louder…and louder…and LOUDER! 

"Please stop it!" Zack groaned and put his hands to his face. He opened his eyes to little slits and looked around the room between his fingers. _Where am I?_ The surroundings didn't look the least bit familiar. In fact, the room looked as unfamiliar as a room could look. For one thing, the posters on the wall kept moving…well, more accurately, the people _in_ the pictures kept moving. _ I am so fucked up._ He squeezed his eyes shut then slowly opened them again. _That didn't help._ Zack started trying to piece together how he had come to be here, wherever _here_ was. He remembered the wizard hospital, cleaning his apartment, and meeting the Weasleys. The rest was a blur. He moved his right hand and he felt something like yarn. He grabbed it and picked it up- it was a Raggedy Ann doll. _Oh shit…whose room am I in?_ Even with a pounding head, he could tell that this was a boy's room. There was some sort of bat in one corner and an old-fashioned broomstick in the other. He saw a rickety desk on which rested several large hardbound books, quill pens, and what looked like an inkbottle. 

"Mrrrooowww." Zack heard just before Russell jumped onto the bed. 

"Ooommpphhh…Oh, hi girl, it sure is good to see you." Zack scratched her head and listened to Russell purr. "Funny, I don't remember your purring being so loud." 

"I see you finally decided to wake up," a loud, shrill voice "screamed" from the other side of his bedroom door. 

"Please…no shouting." Zack grabbed his head and moaned as the door opened and Molly Weasley strode into the room. Russell beat a hasty retreat off the bed and out the now open door. Zack noticed he was wearing the same clothes he had on yesterday. "Where am I?" 

"You are at our house. Specifically, in my son Bill's room. The shower is down the hall to the left. Here's a towel…your toiletries are already in there," Molly said crisply looking around the room. 

"What happened?" 

"You drank more Old Ogden's than was good for you," she scolded. 

_Old Ogden's?_ "Oh now I remember, I think. We were at some house…for some reason. I drank some Scotch, very good Scotch, as I recall. Was that what did this to me? I can normally hold my liquor." 

"Don't you know that you shouldn't drink anything older than you are?" 

"I may have heard that somewhere. But how could I know it was that old?" 

"You should have asked." _Moms… they're all the same._

"Is there some water to drink?" 

"I have something better. _Accio_ mug." Molly said with her wand outstretched. A mug floated into her hand from outside the room. 

"Cool. When will I learn that?" 

"Not until your 4th year…oh, don't look so sad," she said, her voice softening. "You have a lot of catching up to do. Now drink this." She handed him the mug and brushed his hair from his eyes. 

"It smells terrible." Zack felt his stomach roil. 

"Don't be such a baby. It's a potion to cure your hangover. My own special recipe," she said proudly. 

Zack held his nose and drank the potion. _At least it's not as bad as Robitussin._ Within seconds he felt remarkably better. "Wow, this stuff is great!" Zack got up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. 

Molly's face and neck turned red. She giggled and smiled at him, "You're incorrigible. Breakfast will be ready when you've cleaned up." She quickly left the room, still blushing furiously. 

Zack checked his bags; saw they were empty and found they had been unpacked and put into a pair of rickety wooden dressers. He grabbed his underwear, some white socks, and picked out a pair of jean shorts and red t-shirt. As he was getting his clothes together he had the feeling he was being watched. He looked up to see an attractive woman wink at him from a poster on the wall. Startled, he dropped his clothes, but after a moment gave a tentative wave. The woman waved back. _What the hell?_ He thought about calling Molly but decided against it. _What am I a child?_ He eased closer to the poster and reached out his hand to touch it. _It's only paper._ The woman in the poster gave him the shame sign. _Oookay._ Obviously the poster was "magicked" in some way. He walked back over to his clothes and picked them up from the floor. Straightening up, he noticed a lava lamp on a table. But it was no standard lava lamp - the lava didn't just go up and down, it went sideways, diagonally, and even formed shapes like a pyramid, and a sphinx. _Cool._ He also noticed it wasn't even plugged in. Magic is some powerful stuff. 

He took off his clothes and headed for the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. As he walked down the hall he noticed that the floor didn't seem level. In fact, the walls seemed warped as well. _More magic…I hope._ The bathroom looked fairly normal…except there were no hot and cold handles for the sink or the shower. He looked all around but couldn't find how to make the faucets work. Standing by the sink he said aloud, "Where's the damn water?" And no sooner had he finished the word water than water came out of the faucet in from of him. _Aha!_ He put his hand under the water and noticed it was slightly cold. "Now how do I make it stop?" Once again the flow of water seemed to react to his words. _Hey, I'm getting the hang of this._ He walked over to the shower and decided to try his luck. 

"Water," he commanded. The water came out of a Muggle showerhead on the wall. It was a little chilly but he could stand it. He started to soap up and the water became colder. 

"Damn, this is getting cold!" he exclaimed. As soon as he said "cold" the water turned frigid. 

"Son of a bitch! Where's the hot water?" Once again as soon as he said "hot" the water became very hot. "Ahhh, fuck!" He jumped out the shower, his skin stinging from the wild temperature changes of the spray. _Let me think a minute, what did I say?_ He went over the last few moments in his head and decided to try it again. He looked at the showerhead and said, "Warm." As soon as he said it warm water began coming out. Feeling rather proud of himself, he finished getting cleaned up and went down to breakfast. 

He entered the kitchen and saw the dishes being cleaned by an animate brush. _Magic again…either that or I'll soon be celebrating an unbirthday party with a tardy white rabbit and a person in a big hat._ He sat down to a good old-fashioned English breakfast: eggs, bangers, toast, apple butter, and hot tea… _all in all, a respectable repast._ While eating he glanced around at the surroundings and caught sight of a most interesting clock. It didn't show the time of day; instead it showed places – home, school, work, and other. It looked as if a unique "hand" represented each of the Weasleys. He felt kind of sad looking at it because all of the children were shown as "other," while Mr. Weasley was shown "at work" and Molly was at home. He remembered Dumbledore telling him that the Weasley's had raised seven children and now they had all apparently moved away. 

Zack heard Molly come into the room from behind him. "Ah, you found your breakfast. I thought there might be leftovers, but I see you managed to finish it all." 

"I was really famished…for some reason. Thanks for making it for me. It was really delicious." Zack answered. 

"My pleasure, dear. And it's no wonder you finished it all, seeing as how you slept through dinner last night, as well as – the other thing." She had an armful of clean laundry and proceeded to fold it as they talked. 

"The other thing?" 

"You drank too much and then you…" Molly hesitated and pointed outside. 

"Ahh yes, no need to elaborate. I get the picture." Zack said vaguely remembering his close encounter with some bushes yesterday. "I'm sorry to put you to all this trouble. How did you manage to get me up to bed anyway?" 

"That was easy, dear. Arthur levitated you up there." 

_Of course, how silly of me to ask._ "Where are we anyway?" 

"At our house…we call it the Burrow." 

"No…I mean where in England? We are in England?" 

"Yes of course we are in England, Ottery St. Catchpole, to be exact." She explained, seeing Zack's blank look. "It's a small town along the River Otter in Devon, near Exeter. There are several other wizarding families nearby. Maybe we can introduce you around sometime." 

"That would be great…speaking of wizarding what should I be doing with the next two weeks? Dumbledore was not exactly detailed in his description of my… function during my stay here." 

"What would you like to do?" Molly asked, smiling at Zack and shaking out a bed sheet. 

"I don't know for sure. But I do know that I want to earn my keep." He thought of something, "Maybe I could just follow you around today and help you, or at least not get in your way. In turn, you could answer my questions." 

"I hope you won't get too bored, but I'd be happy to have an extra hand around the house." 

For the next several hours, Zack followed Molly around while she cleaned the house. That is to say, she directed the house to clean itself. The broom swept, the mop mopped, the feather duster dusted, etc. Molly was an amazing bundle of energy, never sitting still for more than a moment or two. Before he knew it, it was time for lunch. They sat down to vegetable soup and a salami and cheese sandwich, which were both quite tasty. After lunch, Molly couldn't resist showing Zack some pictures of her kids. Some was an understatement, there were at least a dozen photo books and she started Zack with book one, entirely devoted to her oldest son Bill. Some of the people in the pictures moved and seemed to react to being looked at. _It must be the same technology – magic - that the poster upstairs has. _

"How do the people move in the pictures? It's a little unnerving," Zack asked, taking a bite of a second salami and cheese sandwich he had "sneaked." 

"Arthur would be better to ask than me – he has a great fondness for gadgets. You can ask him when he gets home. Ohhh, isn't that the cutest little rear end!" Molly exclaimed showing Zack picture number 100 of Bill as an infant. 

"I don't consider myself an expert in baby's behinds, so I'll take your word for it." Molly kept smiling at him and returned to the album, reacting with adoration at almost every picture. 

"How many children do you have anyway?" 

"We have seven – six boys and a girl." 

"Oh that's right. Albus mentioned that you had raised seven wizards. What are there names?" 

"Well, Bill of course, he's the oldest. Then Charlie, Percy, the twins Fred and George…those two were quite a handful - always creating trouble. But truth be told, sometimes I thought their creations were quite clever." She seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. "Oh, where was I? The twins – right, then came Ron, and last my only daughter, Ginny." 

"How did you manage raising a brood that size?" 

"It wasn't easy I tell you. The number of howlers I had to send…especially to Fred and George." She wiped some sweat from her brow. "It's a little warm in here, isn't it?" 

_Howlers?_ "Maybe a little. I take it you don't have air conditioning?" 

"No, but I was in a Muggle bank once that had it…it felt wonderful. But we do have a few spells to help us through the hot days of summer. "_Coolio_," she said, pointing her wand at a nearby window. The window opened and he felt a nice cool breeze come from it. 

"Now that is a spell I want to learn! That would save a fortune in cooling bills." 

Pleased at his reaction, Molly went back to the photo albums. After Bill came Charlie, Zack heard all him, how he was married now to an American Muggle doctor from California and he was in Romania studying and caring for dragons, etc… A similar routine for Percy and the twins followed, but things got a bit interesting when Ron came into the picture because he was good friends with Hermione and some kid name Harry Potter when they attended Hogwarts. 

"You see, there they are again - the three of them. One could hardly find one without the other two during their years at Hogwarts - Ron, Harry and Hermione. And dear me, the adventures they had…my heavens." Molly shook her head and took a drink of lemonade. She looked a little sad. 

"What's the matter?" Zack asked. 

"Oh nothing, really. It's just a shame they aren't such good friends anymore. But I always hope they'll patch things up." 

_I bet I know what happened…they grew up and friends tried to become more than friends. I wonder if I could help. Nah. I better just stay out of it._

"Zack?" Molly asked. 

"Oh sorry, my mind was just wandering. What did you say?" 

"Here is the last picture we have of all three together – graduation from Hogwarts. You see how happy they are…what a shame." She talked about Ron's job as assistant manager of the Chudley Cannons, a local Quidditch team. Zack asked what Quidditch was but Molly confessed to having only marginal knowledge about it and suggested he speak to Arthur. She pulled out the last book, mostly group pictures with a few of Ginny sprinkled about. _The last child in a large family always gets the short end of the stick when it comes to parental attention._ He did notice that she was rather pretty by the time she left Hogwarts. He saw that she liked to show off her legs, which he had to admit were shapely. 

"Where's Ginny now?" 

"She works in publishing I think." Molly said evasively and got up to put the dishes in the sink. She pointed her wand mumbled something and the brush in sink started cleaning the dishes. 

_Now that's strange, she couldn't relate enough details about the rest of the family._

"I'm going to go and catch a nap if you don't mind," Zack said yawning and stretching his arms. 

"Of course dear, you should get your rest. If you need anything just holler." 

"Thanks. And thanks for showing me the pictures. You have a real nice family." 

Molly blushed, picked up a basket of laundry on the floor and turned to go out the back door. 

Zack went up the stairs and felt his weariness descend on him with each step. _I wonder if the potion is wearing off. _ Upon reaching the room he walked over to a pitcher that had been placed on the desk along with a glass. He poured some of the contents in the glass, seeing it was water he drank it down in one go. He then quickly drank two more glasses in rapid succession and watched as the pitcher refilled itself after each pour. _Cool._ He lay down on the bed and was asleep in seconds. 

* * *

_ Three men arrayed in armor, all with standards bearing a multi-hued cross, sit in rapt conversation around a campfire. _

"The Chamber becomes unsealed in less than one month – we must redouble our efforts to ensure the relic is kept safe." The knight that spoke had jet-black hair with a few streaks of white and a bushy moustache. 

"Why the concern, Alasdair? All has been quiet since the Dark One was killed." The second knight appeared younger, had long auburn hair and was clean-shaven. 

"The Dark One had more followers than most know about, Rapha. My father once said, 'If there is quiet where there should be noise, find a corner to keep your back against.'" He turned to the third knight, an older man with gray hair and a full beard. "Why so quiet, Bleddyn?" 

"We've had such discussions dozens of times before. I wait for the 8th of September." 

* * *

Zack woke feeling good. He couldn't remember the last time that happened. He got out of bed, stretched, and looked out the window. For some reason he was thinking about his impending birthday. _On September 8th, I'll be 33 years old. Ah, what the hell, age is just a number._ While he thought that consciously, underneath he wasn't so sure. He squinted at the afternoon sky; it was still early enough to do a bit of reading. He looked over the titles of the books, most seemed pretty dry. _The Goblin Wars_ looked interesting but since he had no idea what goblins were he decided against that. He spied _Hogwarts: A History_, all dust covered and beat up, looking like it had been sitting in the same spot for 100 years. _I might as well find out about where I'm going._ He sat down and started to read. He was fascinated by how it all began and by the personalities of the four founders: Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, Salazar Slytherin, and Godric Gryffindor. _They sure seem to like alliterative names._ A different house for each founder sounded like an interesting concept. Having never taken part in the fraternity/sorority lifestyle in college he wasn't sure what the impact would be on the students. _I wonder what house I'll be sorted into, Ravenclaw, probably._ Over the many years covered in the book, he never came across an instance of anyone near his age being admitted as a first year, so he wasn't sure how the students or teachers would handle him. There were only a handful of instances where someone older than 11 was admitted and the oldest of those rare exceptions was 15—and that kid had been frozen in some kind of ice spell for four years. _I guess I'll just have to wait and see._

The castle itself sounded like a fun place to explore, and he looked forward to seeing the enchanted ceiling in the main hall and the real live ghosts…so to speak. Of course not everything looked like fun: for example, the moving staircases seemed a bit unnecessary, and the floor plan was so confusing he knew he'd get lost several times before figuring it out. 

"Zack, dinner!" Molly's voice echoed into the room. 

"Okay, I'm coming." Zack yelled, getting up and trying unsuccessfully to smooth out his "bed hair." _Oh well, I'm not trying to impress anyone._ Heading downstairs he smelled the delicious aroma of beef, potatoes, and vegetables and his stomach gave an audible groan. He turned the corner and saw four places set at the table. 

"Are we expecting company?" Zack asked looking around. 

"Yes, I invited Hermione Granger over for dinner." Zack assessed his appearance, slovenly at best. "After seeing the pictures today I thought it'd be nice to see her again, especially since Arthur told me you and she had developed a kind of friendship." _Now how could he know that?_ Molly was smiling, getting a pie out of the oven, apple if his nose was accurate. 

"I'm just going to go and get cleaned up a little," Zack said pointing up the stairs. 

"Don't be silly dear, they're already here I just heard them." 

"Hello, we're here! What smells so good?" Zack heard Arthur's voice inquire as he opened the door with Hermione in tow. 

Hermione was dressed in a knee length jean skirt, a white T-shirt, a light linen coat and black flats. She looked a little reticent at being here, but she was trying hard to smile. Knowing a little more about her history with the Weasleys, and especially Ron Weasley, he believed he understood her reticence. But she did look quite fetching, Zack thought. 

"Hi, Zack. You look…well rested," she said with a mischievous grin, looking at his hair. 

_So much for not worrying about my bed hair._ "It's good to see you too," Zack said, trying to sneakily smooth his stubborn hair again. She chuckled and Zack shifted his gaze to Arthur. "Hi Arthur, how was work?" 

"Pretty busy, it always is in August with Hogwarts session starting the 1st of September. But this year is busier than usual, what with trying to smooth over some ruffled feathers." _I wonder what that could be about._ Arthur hadn't seen Zack and Hermione move over to sit at the table. However, he did notice Molly frowning at him and he quickly hung up his robe and hat and then joined them at the table. 

"Okay no business talk at the table before dinner," he said glancing back at Molly and sitting down. 

"This looks delicious Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said, putting a napkin on her lap. 

"I agree, and it smells divine," Zack added, winking at Molly. 

She waved her hand at them. "Oh, stop it you two. Now dig in, there's plenty for everyone." She sat down and spooned some peas onto her plate. He could tell she used to cook for a large family, the table groaned under the weight of all of the food. _That was the table groaning, wasn't it?_ Dinner was roast beef with gravy, Yorkshire pudding, boiled potatoes, peas and carrots, home made bread, and apple pie fresh from the oven. Zack knew he'd gain 20 pounds if he stayed here any significant length of time. There wasn't much in the way of conversation during most of dinner. However, there were many shy smiles and furtive glances. 

Zack helped himself to a third helping of everything and decided to try and break the ice. "How are your preparations coming Hermione, I mean with getting ready for Hogwarts?" 

She nervously took a drink of water and wiped her mouth with her napkin, carefully placing it back in her lap. "I've been tremendously busy. There's a new potions textbook this year, so I've been preparing two lesson courses for the first-years, while still preparing lessons from the old text book for the second through seventh-years." 

"Why two lesson courses for the first-years?" Arthur asked while reaching for the potatoes. 

Hermione looked over at Arthur and visibly relaxed. "I feel it's not fair for the first-years to miss out on the lessons from the old text book just because we're switching to a new one." 

Zack, knowing he was one of those first-years, decided to ask a question. "Doesn't that mean there will be double the work?" 

"Yes, I guess you could look at it that way, but I look at it as twice the opportunity. No class before has been lucky enough to study from two potions textbooks. I, for one, would've been thrilled to be given this chance." 

_Oh my stars, she's a know-it-all—a beautiful and charming know-it-all to be sure, but a know-it-all just the same. I better try some damage control._ "So it is your intention to teach from two textbooks for all classes from now on. I mean, would it be fair for next year's first-years to only have one textbook? And what about next term when the current first-years are second-years?" Hermione squirmed in her seat. "Are you just going to drop the old textbook after the first year?" 

"Well, I guess I hadn't thought of that." She looked uncomfortably at Zack for a moment and then realized something. "This wouldn't be motivated by the fact that you are going to be a first-year this term AND are trying to avoid work would it?" She looked quite pleased with herself. 

_Uh oh, I've been found out._ "I admit that my concerns may not be completely selfless," he smiled at her and she looked back at him incredulously, "but it does seem to be a little unfair to the average students. Maybe you could offer it as extra credit for the top students to study from both textbooks?" 

She didn't respond right away and thought it over. "I hate to admit it but your idea is not without merit." 

He gave her his best smile and she shook her head at him. Zack looked over and noticed the Weasleys watching them intently with beatific looks on their faces. Molly's eyes were even a little bright. _Oh great, they're trying to fix us up._

"We really missed seeing you these last couple of years Hermione," Molly squeaked and wiped her eyes with a napkin. 

Arthur gently patted Molly's shoulder and then turned to Hermione whose face had flushed. "It really is nice to see you again at the Burrow." 

Hermione, overcome with emotion, hid her face, and ran outside. Zack followed quickly after her and had to step over Russell who was coming in from the outside carrying a rat. _Yummy._ He shook his head and followed Hermione out the door. 

"Hermione, what is it?" Zack asked, reaching tentatively and touching her shoulder. She quickly turned towards him and hugged him hard, crying softly into his shoulder. He held her gently stroking her hair for a few moments waiting for her to calm down. A minute or so later she broke contact and slowly wiped away tears with the back of her hand. She looked embarrassed and stood back from Zack at arms length. 

"I'm sorry about that. I don't know what happened. It's just that the Weasleys have always been so kind to me and I love them almost like a second set of parents. You must think I'm some sort fruitcake or something." She looked at Zack and laughed. 

"A fruitcake is exactly what I was thinking! I was standing here holding you thinking…I'm holding a fruitcake in my arms." Zack said exaggeratedly and watched Hermione break into a set of giggles. He decided he wouldn't tell her that he knew something about the problem, feeling it was probably best to let her tell him when she was ready. 

"You are so bad," she said finally and looked him directly in the eyes. 

_And you are so beautiful._ "Are you okay to go back inside then? I am ready for some of that pie." 

"Where can you possibly be putting it all?" Hermione asked looking at his athletic frame. 

"I've got a hollow leg," he said shaking his right leg. Hermione just rolled her eyes. Grabbing his arm, they went back inside. 

The Weasleys looked very worried and Molly rushed towards them as they came back inside. "I'm so sorry, Hermione," she said in a rush. 

Hermione just hugged her. "It's okay Mrs. Weasley. I'm the one who's sorry. I don't know what came over me." 

Molly smiled, and patted her arm. "So you're okay then?" Hermione nodded and they went back to the table. 

They finished dinner and Zack sat back as Hermione and the Weasleys talked for over an hour about times and adventures past. It was great to see them having such a good time catching up. While he didn't understand much of what they talked about—not having been there when these events occurred—he was still astounded at the nonchalant way they talked about horrible accidents and near death experiences. Finally, they wrapped it up and agreed to try and see it each other more often. 

"Hermione, would you like to come to the family reunion we're having next week?" Molly asked, holding Arthur's hand. 

Hermione looked down, took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "I really appreciate the offer, but I think I will beg off this time." 

Molly reacted as if she expected that answer but was disappointed just the same. "Maybe next time then or even Christmas," she suggested suddenly. 

"We'll see," Hermione said and turned to go. "Thank you so much for dinner. It was wonderful and I really enjoyed seeing and talking with both of you again. I promise not to stay away so long again. And Mr. Weasley," Arthur's ears perked up, "my dad told me the next time I saw you that he has a very interesting plug for you to add to your collection." 

"Oh, really! When can I have it?" He saw the agitated look from his wife and added, "I mean…when do you think I will see…I mean, Molly and I will get to see your parents again?" It seemed to Zack that the man was constantly tiptoeing his way through verbal minefields. 

"I'll let them know we had dinner - they'll be so pleased - and then I'll send you an owl-post, okay?" They nodded their assent and she turned to leave. 

Zack took her by the arm gently and escorted her outside. The sun was setting and the sky shone with hues of purple. She looked up at him, smiled and said. "It was nice to see you again. It looks like the Weasleys are treating you right." 

"I have no complaints, except that I will likely need to run more than a few miles to take off the pounds I'm sure to be gaining." The last vestiges of sun were reflected in her deep brown eyes and in her tawny hair. She wasn't looking away from his gaze. _Why not?_ He gently brushed her hair from in front of her face and leaned down toward her. She looked nervous but didn't pull away and he kissed her lightly on the lips. Then, feeling her response, he moved in for a deeper, more sensual kiss. He embraced her and she haltingly put her arms around him as well. He had never felt this way kissing a woman before, but it didn't last long as Hermione gently broke the kiss and nudged him away. 

"Zack, we can't," she said shyly and backed away a step. 

"It's the bed head isn't it?" he said trying to smooth it down again. 

She looked confused and then smiled. "No…that's not it - you are so funny sometimes. No, I'm going to be your teacher at Hogwarts in less than two weeks and this wouldn't be right," she said uncertainly. 

"But I'm not your standard student," he protested. 

"That's an understatement. Nevertheless, we can't pursue anything but friendship right now. I like you very much…I do. I hope you understand." She cast her eyes downward and to Zack she looked like she expected be yelled at. 

In that instant, Zack knew that Hermione had not likely been in very many adult relationships, and the ones she had been in did not end well. Even though he was frustrated, he decided he couldn't let her know that. "Hermione, look at me." She slowly raised her eyes to meet his, surprised at what she saw. "I like you too. If friends are all that we can be, then friends it is." He stuck out his hand to her. 

She looked immensely relieved and ignoring Zack's outstretched hand gave him a quick hug. "You are unlike any person I've every met Zack Flood. I can't believe you're not disappointed." But the look on her face was not just grateful…_could she also be disappointed?_

"I didn't say I wasn't disappointed. But you have rules you have to obey and as a doctor I can understand that. But I don't have to be happy about it." _Even though this does suck._

She shifted around tiredly on her feet and Zack noticed that she looked worn out. _Well, of course you moron, look at the day she's had!_ "Some doctor I am. You must be exhausted and here I am just going on and on." 

"I admit I am practically out on my feet." 

"You go on home and get some sleep. How is it that you're getting home anyway?" Zack asked looking around. "A Portkey?" 

"Heaven's no, I'm apparating home." 

"Appa…what?" 

"Apparating. It's when you use magic to transport yourself from one place to another. Of course it helps if you know the place you are apparating to intimately otherwise you might get splinched." She must have seen the confusion on Zack's face because she continued. "Splinched is being caught between two places at once. I've been told it is… quite uncomfortable." 

Zack winced at her description. "To say the least." He brightened and asked, "When will I learn how to apparate?" 

"Not until your sixth or seventh year, depending on how advanced you are. Now I really must be going, Crookshanks will be wondering where I've gone off to." 

"Crookshanks? A cat perhaps?" Zack guessed. 

"Yes, he is my cat." She looked impressed. "Maybe you'll get to meet him sometime." 

"I look forward to it. Take care now and I'll see you at Hogwarts on September 1st." 

"You watch yourself too. When all of the Weasleys are here at once I shudder to think what could happen." She smiled mischievously at him, took her wand out, muttered something, and disappeared. 

_I'm doomed._

* * *

Zack awoke the next morning determined to put that kiss out of his mind. It seemed like he dreamt about it all night. _What is wrong with me, I've been with dozens of women before. It must be magically related somehow._ Zack cleaned up and as he was eating breakfast, Molly told him she was going shopping and would be back in a few hours. He decided this provided the perfect opportunity for exploring the rest of the house. He also wondered where his cat had been keeping herself. 

"Russell? Where are you girl?" Zack looked around but no cat could be found. He thought maybe he should be worried because Russell was an indoor cat at the flat, but just shrugged it off and went looking into the other rooms. _ She had a rat in her mouth last night afterall._

Charlie's room contained many figurines of dragons many that moved and breathed little jets of fire. Zack got a little singed and had to run cold water over the wound for a few minutes. The dragon that got him seemed pleased. _I guess his work with dragons isn't just a job._ Percy's room was immaculate and incredibly boring, but he did find a copy of _The Standard Book of Spells_ in there and decided to borrow it. The twin's room "looked" safe enough but something told him to be careful snooping in here. He didn't see anything too interesting but as he was turning to leave he saw a crack in the ceiling above the door right next to a beam. The crack did not look natural and he decided to take a closer look. He grabbed a chair and stood on it, but couldn't quite see into the crevice. _Damn, these guys must have been pretty tall because I'm not short._ He decided to grab a couple of big books to stand on but the first one, entitled _The Flying Book_, grew wings and flew around the room for a few minutes. _Very funny, guys._ He finally had enough books to boost him high enough. Unfortunately it was too dark and he didn't think sticking his hand in would be very smart. He also decided a candle was not worth the risk either, standing precariously on several books AND in a wooden house. 

"I'll be back," he said in a bad _Terminator_ impression to no one and laughed at himself. Ron's room was the highest room just below the attic. Nothing too exciting in here but he did find a very used wand held together with some kind of tape and a great deal of Chudley Cannons paraphernalia. He took a closer look and found some pictures of Harry and Ron, but they looked altered somehow. He guessed that Hermione had been cut out of some of them. _Young love sucks._ All of the sudden he heard something. It sounded like some things being thrown about in the attic. There was banging and a kind of guttural voice as well. 

"Who's there?" He asked with more bravery than he felt. The noises grew louder and he heard a definite "meow" and then a weak plea for help from the attic. _What the hell?_ Zack walked into the hallway and heard Russell's insistent low meow, the one Zack called the "don't fuck with me" meow. He also heard some whimpers. Looking around he spied a narrow door tucked in a corner. He guessed this was the door to the attic. Already slightly ajar, he opened it slowly and saw a narrow set of unstable looking steps going up. _This must be the place._ He saw some movement at the top of the stairs and recognized Russell's pacing form. 

"Hey girl, watcha got there?" Russell mewed a hello but continued to keep her eyes on something ahead of her. Zack walked up the short flight of stairs and saw a hideous creature crouching behind an old spinning wheel. It looked bucktoothed and slimy. 

"Don't let it hurt me, sir. I hate cats. They scare me something awful." 

"Who or what are you?" 

"I'm the Weasley's ghoul sir." 

"A ghoul did you say? Why are you here?" 

"I haunt their attic. Our union specifies which ghoul haunts which house and for how long." 

"You have a union? For hauntings?" Zack couldn't believe his ears. 

"O' course. Can't have ghouls fightin' o'er the best spots can we? My first haunt was a barn and I really hated it. The family had a dozen cats and they never left me alone. So next haunt they gave me a nice attic in a house with no cats…at least, until now. Although I remember a real big orange cat a few years ago that stayed here for a couple of days…really awful." 

Zack was quite amused at the fact that he was talking in an attic with a ghoul that was afraid of cats. "We won't be staying long, just a week or so more." 

"That's a relief, cause this cat hardly leaves me alone." 

"Russell wouldn't hurt you, would you girl?" The look on Russell's face suggested Zack shouldn't bet on it. 

"You see, that beast has it in for me." 

"Don't worry, I'll take her when I go. One other thing, since your job is to haunt, aren't you supposed to be scary? I don't find holding a conversation all that frightening." 

"Strictly speakin' we're not supposed to speak to anybody. Just noises and maybe a moan or two. So's I'd appreciate it if you didn't report me to the union." 

"Don't worry your secret is safe with me." _Like I'd know where to go to report it anyway._ "Let's go Russell." He picked up the none-to-pleased cat and went back downstairs. 

"Thanks, mister." 

_ Bizarre._ Zack let Russell go after a short scratching session and she flew off down the stairs. _My cat - the "ghoul tamer"._

He went to Ginny's room last and knew immediately this was the "girl's room." For one thing, it was fashionable. Painted walls and ceiling, designer curtains, a handmade bedspread, etc… Ginny had built up a significant number of male admirers, if the dozen or so pictures of now scowling men were any indication. He guessed that Ginny had a crush on Ron's friend Harry at some point, as there was a kind of shrine to him in one corner of her dressing table. Harry didn't really fit in with the other boys she had pictures of, so Zack figured it was a probably a younger-sister crush on older brother's friend thing. The pictures of Ginny in here showed even more leg than the ones he saw earlier. _If you got it flaunt it._ He heard a door close downstairs so he left the room and went into the hallway. 

"Molly…is that you?" Zack called down the stairs. 

"Yes, dear. Oh, bother!" He heard her exclaim. 

Zack bounded down the rest of the steps. "What is it? Are you okay?" Zack asked worriedly as he entered the kitchen. 

"Get away cat! Would you look at this?" She held up a set of long wooden knitting needles that looked chewed on. "This is the second set since you arrived." She shot a look at Russell, who bounded away through an open window. 

"I'm sorry Molly. Let me buy you a replacement set." 

"That's okay. I have some extra pairs." 

"Even so, I insist. Of course, I have no idea where to buy them. Maybe my mother would know." 

"I don't think so dear, these are magic knitting needles." _Of course they are, everything else in the house is._ "If you insist, there is a shop in Diagon Alley we can go to when we go to buy your wizarding supplies." 

"Diagon Alley?" Zack asked. 

"Oh my, I sometimes wonder where my head is. It's the main shopping area for wizarding supplies in all of Britain. We should go there tomorrow and get your schoolbooks and supplies. The earlier you have them the more you'll be ready come September 1st." 

"Okay, I would like at least some time to see what I'm in for. Maybe I could even practice a bit?" Zack was feeling very nervous for some reason. _I need a drink._

"Of course, dear. I'll help you with some of the more basic spells if you like." 

"I need all the help I can get." Zack then went upstairs and spent the rest of the day reviewing _The Standard Book of Spells_, practicing his pronunciations, and feeling clueless. _This had better not be some elaborate practical joke set up by Barney and Mick. Knowing them he was probably being filmed this very moment for posterity. I got your posterity…_

* * *

My thanks to Crow, Juliane and Lillith for their proofreading help. 

My thanks also to everyone who has reviewed. 


	6. Chapter 6 Diagon Alley

Chapter 6 By Archie Leach 

* * *

Zack tossed and turned and finally gave up. Nervous excitement surged through him. _Tomorrow I go to Diagon Alley!_ Of course, he usually avoided alleys – even bowling alleys - but it must be overflowing with all things magical and **that** in and of itself must make it interesting. He guessed it was probably in some small town somewhere to avoid Muggle interference. He scratched his hand, which itched to hold his own wand. _Accio_ this and _Engorgio_ that, he'd be one kick ass wizard…if he really was a wizard. He wasn't completely convinced; maybe he was only a wizard for that one moment. Granted he'd never forget saving Elizabeth's life – even if he couldn't remember exactly how he did it. Stop second-guessing! Normally he'd turn on some late night TV to empty his mind, but without electricity he was out of luck. He'd read but he didn't even know how to light a candle in this place without help. _Maybe the ghoul wants to rap about… What the hell am I saying?_ Frustrated and punchy, he made an effort to try and relax but Hermione's visage face came into his mind. _No, none of that!_ Zack got out of bed and decided to do some Judo stretching exercises. As he went through the routine, he started "reading" Hogwarts: A History in his mind. Soon his eyes drooped and he finally nodded off. First order of business tomorrow, learn to cast a candle lighting spell…or find a magical TV. 

"Zack! Time to get up, we want to get an early start," Molly announced, happily opening his door, and then his blinds. 

_I hate morning people._ "All right, all right," Zack grumbled and rolled onto his back. He closed eyes for a moment. 

"Mrrooowww!" Russell announced her presence before jumping on his stomach. 

"So you're in on this too…my own cat." Zack stretched his arms and looked at the rainbow colored cat on his chest. "Russell?" Each paw was a different color as was her muzzle. In fact, her whiskers were every shade of the rainbow. "What have you done?" 

Zack got out of bed with the cat in his arms and yelled down the stairs. "Molly!" 

"Yes, dear," she answered. 

"Why does Russell look like a rainbow?" 

"What was that, dear?" 

Zack went down the stairs with cat in tow. 

Molly took one look at the cat and couldn't help but laugh. Arthur came down the stairs behind Zack. "What's this all about? Oh my goodness…is that your cat? I have to get a picture of this. _Accio camera._" 

"Good idea Arthur! These will be too precious!" Molly exclaimed. 

Before Zack knew it, he and his rainbow colored cat had been photographed from three different angles. _Thanks Russell._ "Can you do anything for her?" The Weasleys laughed and when Zack joined in, Russell squirmed out of Zack's arms, sprinted over to an open window, and jumped out. 

"I think she must have upset the coloring fairy." _Coloring fairy?_ "Don't worry, she'll be fine." Molly stared at Zack for a moment. "Well… Are you going to get ready now or are we staying home today?" 

Zack knew that look; his own mother used it on many occasions. "I'll go and shower up." 

Before long he and Molly were ready to go. "What's the Portkey this time?" 

"There's no need for a Portkey; we'll be going by Floo Powder." 

"Flew powder? You mean we'll fly there?" _Cool._

"No dear, Floo as in the fireplace. It's easier to show you than explain." She strode over to a flowerpot on a table across from the fireplace and grabbed a handful of ash. "First you grab a handful of Floo Powder and then step into the fireplace, like this. **Clearly** say the destination and throw down the powder at your feet…._DIAGON ALLEY!_" Whoooshhh. And just like that Molly disappeared in green flames. 

"Molly…?" Zack prodded the ashes with a nearby poker. 

"So that's how it's done," Molly said out of the blue from behind him. 

"SHIT!" Zack spun around and sat down hard on an old wooden chair sitting next to the fireplace. 

"I'm sorry dear. Are you okay?" 

"I think so…I'm just waiting for my heart to restart… ahh there it goes." He clutched his right hand to his chest and breathed heavily for a moment. 

"Maybe we should wait a minute?" 

"No, I'll be fine. I better do this before I start to think about it." He pushed himself out of the chair and walked hesitantly over to the dingy bowl and grabbed a handful of ash. "Is this enough?" 

"That's fine, now go into the fireplace." 

Zack took a tentative step towards the fireplace a shooting pain in his right hand. He abashedly relaxed his death grip on the ash, ducked under the mantle and turned around to face Molly. "Now what?" 

"When you are ready clearly say _Diagon Alley_ and throw the powder at your feet. It's easy." 

_Famous last words._ He took a deep breath let it out slowly. "Diagon Alley!" Zack shouted and threw the powder at his feet. No sooner had the ash hit his jogging shoes, his stomach lurched and he "fell" or more exactly he "slid" through a vast array of images that looked like other fireplaces. Scant seconds later, Zack, covered in ash, shot out of fireplace, on his back onto a wooded floor. Stopping with a crash, he found himself staring at a precipitous pile of books about to fall on his head. Zack squeezed his eyes shut and covered his face with his arms to soften the blow – but strangely no books fell. He peeked again and the books appeared to be in the same position as before. _Sir Isaac would love this, but then again maybe he was a wizard too._ Carefully avoiding the stack of books, he rose unsteadily to his feet and dusted himself off. The store burst at the seams with similar gravity-defying stacks of books as well as thousands of others, kept more conventionally, on bookshelves. The clientele consisted mainly of adults and small children clad in robes of many different hues and sometimes funky matching hats. 

"Not so bad was it," Molly said beside him. 

"It was pretty cool actually." 

'The first order of business is to go to _Gringotts_ wizard bank, so you can exchange some money." 

"Exchange money? They don't take pounds or credit cards here?" 

"No dear, we have our own money and everything is done on a cash basis, although most merchants are good about extending credit if they know you." She looked down and smoothed out her skirt. "You do have money with you?" 

"Of course, here's my wallet." _I hope this bank can take money off of my bank card._ They evaded the throng entering the store and strode down a twisty cobblestone street lined with a fascinating group of shops: a writing store, a menagerie, potions ingredients, an apothecary – _I wonder if Brother Cadfael is in there _- a sweet shop, a joke store, robes, clothes, a Quidditch shop, etc… But with no money, and Molly trekking double-time through the crowd, he didn't linger at any of the windows. A minute or so later, his gaze fell on the gold lettering – _Gringotts_ – on a three-story white building. 

"I take it that's it?" 

She turned, nodded and weaved her way to the bank. At the door, Molly took Zack to the side. "Zack, I want to warn you, _Gringotts_ is run by goblins, and they are not the friendly sort. One more thing, try not to stare." 

"Thanks mom," he whispered back and Molly blushed. The bank had striking surroundings including beautiful marble floors and spectacular chandeliers. Small creatures with pointed ears – none taller than Zack's waist – warily eyed his approach to the _Exchange_ cage. _Unfriendly…nahhh._

Molly carefully approached the first open cashiers window and asked to see a manager. The goblin scowled at them and directed them to a lofty dais to their left. She looked at the dais and motioned for Zack to follow her. On approaching the lofty perch, the older goblin looked down on them over his reading glasses. 

"Opening an account today?" the creature asked condescendingly. 

Goose bumps ran up Zack's back. "Just a minute please." He turned to Mrs. Weasley and whispered in her ear. "I wasn't planning on opening an account, just exchanging some money. Do you think I should? These – goblins – make me nervous." 

"Don't worry; they're unfriendly, but there's no safer place for your money." 

He turned back to the goblin who seemed quite put out by Zack's secrecy. "I'm sorry about that, I'm new here and I needed to ask my friend's opinion on something." Zack tried to smile but the goblin just bristled. "Yes, I will open an account." 

At this declaration the goblin became more accommodating. "Excellent, sir." He motioned over to another employee who came over to stand next to Zack. "How much will you be depositing today?" 

"I'm not sure…I have only Muggle money and I don't know what the exchange rate is. How about £50,000?" The goblins eyes widened and he leapt from his seat and ran around the other clerks to stand beside Zack. 

"I have been so rude, sir. We have much more comfortable environs for a man of your prominence." Tugging Zack by his left arm, the manager led him towards an ornate door that a moment before was a wall. Zack would have protested but didn't know how they would react; besides, Molly looked excited at the prospect of seeing this other room. They weren't disappointed either. Plush and extravagant seemed inadequate. Molly eyed the surroundings with her mouth agape. The manager led them to two over-stuffed chairs resting in front of an obsidian desk. They were instructed to wait while the director of bank was notified. On his way out Zack noticed the manager give direction to another goblin, who walked quickly over to them. 

"May I offer some refreshment while you wait?" 

Zack saw no need to pass this up. "Yes, we are quite parched aren't we Molly?" Molly just nodded; he could see she was having fun. "Do you have any _Perrier-Jouët_ chilling?" 

"Yes, sir." 

_But, of course._ "Then the lady and I will have two glasses of champagne and some strawberries – fresh picked." 

"Of course sir, right away sir…madam." The goblin walked quickly away. 

"Is this normal for you?" Molly asked amazed at Zack's seeming nonchalance. 

"Not in the least, but I thought why not? You know what they say, when in Rome…" 

"We're not in Rome, we're in London." 

_London?_ "It's a figure of speech. It means act like you belong." 

"This is so much fun; I feel like a teenager again," Molly said, putting her hands in her lap and shrugging her shoulders. 

"And you look like a teenager again too." 

"Stop it." Molly giggled and covered her mouth with her hand. 

Two waiters appeared, one with an ice bucket and the other with a laden tray. The tell-tale flowers on the green bottle in the ice bucket and a bowl of deep red strawberries on a tray came into view. A third goblin set up a small table in between Molly and Zack, and then placed beautiful embroidered golden napkins, first on Molly's lap and then one on Zack's. Two small plates (_Wedgwood_) and a small knife and fork (both silver), appeared on the table. The waiter that took their order next set down two glasses and proceeded to open the bottle, which made a most satisfactory "pop." He poured a small amount for Zack to taste. _Excellent as always._ He nodded and the waiter filled their glasses as Molly watched in delight. 

"If you would like anything else, do not hesitate to ask." He bowed and left. 

"Cheers, Molly." Zack raised his glass to her and indicated for her to do the same. 

She picked up her glass gingerly and looked back at Zack expectantly. 

Zack leaned his glass ever so slightly towards Molly's, she reciprocated, and he lightly touched the glasses together making a clear "ping" sound. _Of course, this is real crystal._

"Isn't that a pretty sound?" Molly said sniffing the contents of the glass a little. "I have to admit I've never had real champagne before." 

"Not even at your wedding?" 

"We eloped and didn't have a fancy wedding," Molly explained. 

"Well I'd say it's about time, wouldn't you? Now just follow my lead…and trust me you'll love it." Zack took a drink and Molly followed suit. 

"The bubbles are pretty." She took a drink and rubbed her nose with her left hand. "It tickles my nose." 

"Now try it with a strawberry." Zack took a strawberry in his hand and dipped it into his glass, and he took a bit of it. "Damn, that is good! Pardon my language." 

"It's okay, dear." She copied Zack and her eyes closed involuntarily as she bit into the sweet red berry. "I have got to tell Arthur about this…it's wonderful!" 

The strawberries and champagne disappeared in short order. Just as they were finishing, a very distinguished looking goblin came over to them. 

"I trust you have enjoyed our service so far. We strive to give our customers the very best." He smiled at them and sat behind his desk. _Slicky boy, er, goblin._

Business matters soon took precedence as Zack handed over his bank card for the transfer. If they thought £50,000 was a lot of money, he'd better not let on he had a great deal more than that. When the transfer was finalized the director of the bank – as he had told them his title - presented him with a key and explained the bank policies. Zack did inquire about the nature of wizard currency as it related to Muggle currency and the director of bank was more than happy to tell him more than he ever wanted to know. Not sure how much currency to take, he asked Molly, who seemed a little uncomfortable. Zack realized that this opulence stood in stark contrast to the Weasley house. He withdrew 75 galleons, 25 silver sickles, and 50 bronze knuts. _I can always come back for more._

"We at _Gringotts_ appreciate your patronage. Is there anything else we can do for you today? Perhaps madam would like a facial or a massage?" 

Molly turned beet red. 

"Thank you but not today, madam and I need to go shopping," Zack said. He stood, offered his arm to Molly, and they faced the director. 

"Have a pleasant day and come back anytime." The director looked towards one of the waiters and he sprang towards them and escorted Zack and Molly out of the office. 

"I thought you said they were unfriendly. If they were any friendlier, I'd have to file charges." 

Molly smiled at him and giggled. "I've never heard of such treatment at _Gringotts_ before…that was wonderful." 

Zack noticed Molly looking quizzical. "What is it Molly?" 

"What's a _facial?_" 

"My mother told me they feel so good they should be illegal…so to speak." 

Molly put her hands to her burning red cheeks and looked back at the bank. Zack smiled. "If you like I'm sure we can go back in." 

"I couldn't…besides we have too much to do." She looked at her watch. "My goodness is that the time…we're late." _Late for what?_ Molly dashed back up the alley of shops, weaving through the crowded street. Zack hurried along navigating the crowd with some difficulty as it had increased during their time in the bank, if she hadn't had that red hair he'd likely have lost her. He recognized the bookstore they came out of – it was called _Flourish & Blotts_ – and Molly walked right in. No sooner had he walked in he heard a familiar young lady's voice… 

"Zack!" Elizabeth pushed her way past a couple of other kids and gave Zack a hug but stopped almost immediately. 

"Forgot yourself, did you. We can't have people think you actually _like me._" 

"Don't be silly…I meant to do that." She brushed off his assertion like so much lint off of her sleeve. 

"Yeah right." Zack changed the subject. "This is the strangest bookstore I've ever been in. What do you think of it?" 

"It's really cool…they have all of my favorite books." Pulling his arm, she marched him around the bookstore. He waved to his aunt and uncle who were talking with Molly as he was yanked past them. "They have _The Giant Princess, The Goblin Queen_ and _The Warlock_ series, they even have Gilderoy Lockhart's complete collection…he _obliviated_ himself." _Obliviated?_ "And there's, _The Trouble with Trolls, The…_" 

"Whoa…slow down. We have all day, and besides my arm feels like it's coming out of its socket." Zack removed his hand from hers and stretched his arm by doing a circular motion. 

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "You're so _old_ sometimes…how will you ever keep up with me at Hogwarts?" 

"Thanks, you sure know how to hurt a guy. Besides, once we get there I don't think you'll want to be hanging around with an old guy like me." Zack hunched over and "hobbled" towards a stack of books. 

"Stop that…it's embarrassing," she said, looking around. 

Zack straightened up. "Have you got your school books yet?" 

"No…what fun are those?" 

"That's the reason we're here, you know." 

"Zack, there you are," Molly said coming up behind Zack. "If you give me your list I'll help you get your books." 

"I didn't bring my list. I already read it so I left it at the house." 

"Well that was irresponsible. How will we know if you are missing anything? I suppose we can borrow one," she said. 

"It'll be all right, I told you I read the list." Molly didn't look impressed. "Elizabeth do you have your list with you?" Zack asked, extending his hand. 

"Yeah, here it is." She pulled a crumpled bit of parchment from her pocket and gave it to him. 

Zack looked at the shameful document and frowned at Elizabeth. 

"What?" Elizabeth asked. 

Zack smoothed out the paper and gave it to Molly without reading it. "Now, I will recite the entire list word for word. Please follow along and let me know if I miss anything." He recited the list and the more he recited the more amazed Molly became. In fact, a small crowd gathered to listen to him. When he finished, they applauded, and Zack gave them a little bow. 

"Don't tell him, but I wish I could do that" Elizabeth said to Molly and hurried off towards a back room. 

"How did you do that? You can't do any magic yet…you don't even have a wand - speaking of which you should go to _Ollivanders_ next and get your wand. The process can sometimes be quite lengthy. Where was I? Oh yes, how did you manage that? Did you stay up all night memorizing it?" Molly asked in a rush. 

"No, I've always been able to read something once and remember it word for word." 

"How long do you remember it for?" 

Zack thought about it for a moment. "Well let me put it this way, I'm almost certain I've never forgotten a single word I've ever read." _Unless I'm drunk, but she doesn't need to know that._

"Does anyone else know about this?" 

"My parents, some friends, relatives…" 

"No, I mean in our world." 

"My aunt and uncle, Elizabeth, Dumbledore…and now you." 

She looked at him strangely for moment. "I wouldn't let just anybody know about this." 

Bemused, Zack didn't feel like arguing, so he agreed easily. They picked up the books he needed, although hauled might be more accurate given how heavy they were. He laughed at the picture of Severus Snape on _An Idiot's Guide to Potion Making_. Snape seemed to be trying to set a record for greatest number of different scowls on a jacket cover. How are we possibly going to carry all these books the rest of the afternoon? He needn't have worried; after he purchased them Molly fit them all into a carpetbag she had brought along. Zack offered to carry the bag but Molly insisted it wasn't heavy. Zack shook his head in disbelief. 

Before he left the store, he went to find Elizabeth to give her back her list. He found her tormenting two boys, who were fighting each other to do her bidding. _God help the poor soul that falls in love with her._ He didn't want to spoil her fun so he gave the list to his aunt on his way out. They agreed to meet up for lunch at around noon at a place called _The Leaky Cauldron._

Zack cajoled Molly into going to the knitting store next so he could buy her replacement needles. She led him to a small store entitled _Stella's Stitches._ Molly immediately went to a corner of the store labeled – Sale Items. She picked up a set of needles that were labeled Sweaters and Socks knitting needles, 5 knuts each. 

"What does that mean?" Zack asked pointing at the label. 

"Nothing dear…these will do just fine." Molly eyed the exit and smiled uncomfortably. 

Before she could stop him, Zack went over to a young woman behind the counter. "Pardon me, what does it mean by "sweaters and socks knitting needles?" 

"It means needles that will only knit sweaters and socks. In fact, the needles your mother has will only knit one pattern of sweater and socks," she said disdainfully. Zack decided to let the "mother" assumption go. _Not much money to be made in these I guess._

"Do you have better needles in the store?" 

"Of course! Those are the cheapest we sell." 

Zack turned to look at Molly, who seemed very embarrassed. "You deserve better than these, Molly." 

He turned back to the clerk, who had started to turn each fingernail a different color with her wand. "Excuse me again." The clerk looked up with droopy eye-lids. "What are the best knitting needles you have in the store?" _That woke her up._

She roused herself and came out from behind the counter walking towards the front of the store without waiting to see if she was followed. 

"Zack this is not necessary," Molly said, tugging at his sleeve, looking slightly flushed. 

"That's the best part. What good is a gift if it's _necessary?_" He walked to the front of the store to find the sales clerk. "Now what do you have?" The clerk happily showed him several sets of needles, explaining all about them. Zack politely listened and nodded but not being a knitter, he tuned out. Thankfully, Molly asked a couple of tentative questions and before he knew it, he'd been pushed aside and the two women animatedly talked about all things knitting for a good 20 minutes. Molly was definitely in her element. And when it came down to negotiating the price the poor clerk didn't stand a chance. If Zack hadn't stepped in, he was afraid the girl would have handed over the keys to the store. 

He paid for the knitting needles and several spools of high quality yarn, which Molly somehow fit into the seemingly bottom-less carpetbag. They went outside the store and Molly looked around a little and gave Zack a hug. 

"Why Molly, what would Arthur say?" Zack teased. 

"Oh poo," she said and wiped away a stray tear. "Thanks so much for this. I've wanted an authentic set of _Chanel_ needles since I was a little girl." 

"Chanel…as in the designer? She can't have been a wizard…could she?" 

"Witch dear, women are witches and men are wizards. And yes she was in the Muggle world, but she was a witch. Now, enough of this. Go to _Ollivanders_ and get your wand. I'll go and pick up your other supplies." 

"Where is _Ollivanders_?" 

"Keep walking like you are going back in the direction of the book store. It will be several shops past it and on the right." Zack handed her some money and headed off. 

_Cool, now I'll be able to kick some ass…maybe._

He passed by the Quidditch shop and stopped in for bit to see what it was all about. _Who know, maybe I'll give it a try?_ The shop had uniforms for each of the houses at Hogwarts as well as uniforms for other teams – he recognized the Chudley Cannons from Ron's room. Broomsticks of all kinds filled barrels all over the store, but none of them looked much good for sweeping. Among others he took note of the _Cleansweep 9, Nimbus 2000_ (20% off), a _Firebolt_ and the newest broom a _Firebolt Magnum,_ which had an endorsement poster of Harry Potter (so that's what he does) – "It's the best broom I've ever flown!" _Flown? Quidditch is played on flying broomsticks? That's absurd._ He saw that it was also played with three balls - a quaffle, a bludger, and a golden snitch. _I think I'll pass._ Zack left the store to the ogling (and likely fearless) teenagers. 

Hands in his pockets, he ambled down the alley until - _Ollivanders Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC_- met his eye. He peered through the glass but the shop looked unattended. He tried the door and it opened with the sound of tinkling bells. Thousands of oblong boxes were stacked in every crevice of the store. A few wands sitting on the counter tempted him, but just as he reached for one… 

"Do you need a replacement wand?" A male voice said softly from the stacks to Zack's right. A man with wispy white hair and glasses resting halfway down his nose, approached, looking appraisingly at Zack. 

"No, this would be my first wand." Zack felt very nervous under the gaze of this old man. 

"Curious, most curious. You are from America, correct?" 

"Was from America," Zack corrected. "I've been in England for the past 9 years." 

"Why is this your first wand? Certainly, the American wizarding community could not have been so foolish as to miss your talent." 

"Well I only became a wizard recently. You see I had an accident and…" 

"Ah yes, you must be Mr. Flood. I've been hearing quite a lot about you recently. I've been looking forward to your visit. This may present quite a challenge." 

"Why a challenge? Certainly any of these would do." Zack indicated the wands on the counter. 

"Oh no, the wand chooses the wizard Mr. Flood. Although, no one is quite sure why." 

"What do you mean that the wand chooses…it's a stick." 

Ollivander spluttered. "A STICK! "How dare you call my wands sticks! I'll have you know that my wands are hand-crafted from the finest wood in the world and each magical element selected for highest potency." 

"I apologize for my careless remark, sir; I didn't mean anything by it. They look like wood to me, so I thought…it doesn't matter what I thought. I am putting myself in your capable hands." That seemed to mollify him a little, but his mouth was still twitching. "Do you think we can get started? I've been waiting for this moment since Dumbledore told me about wizard's powers and the need for a wand." Ollivander stood looking down at the floor scratching his chin with his hand. "Excuse me, sir? Are you all right?" 

"What? Yes, I am fine. That name _Flood_, did your father or grandfather attend Hogwarts perhaps?" 

"I'm positive that neither attended Hogwarts. Why?" 

"I remember every wand I've ever sold Mr. Flood, and while I do not believe I sold a wand to anyone named Flood the name seems eerily familiar." Zack watched Ollivander patiently as he tried to remember. "Oh well, let us begin. Do you know anything about wand making?" Zack shook his head in the negative and Ollivander proceeded to tell him all about it as he sorted through the piles of boxes. _Phoenix feathers, unicorn hairs, and dragons…oh my._ Ollivander pulled out a tape measure and stepped around the counter 

"Uh, excuse me, what are you doing?" 

"Measuring you, of course…how else can I determine what wand would best suit you?" 

Zack let him measure his arm length, hand size, the size of his head, etc… A few moments later Ollivander stopped, looking thoughtful. Saying nothing he went into the shelves, selected a box, and removed an oak hued wand. 

"Oak 12 inches, Unicorn hair - from its mane - most difficult to obtain." He handed the wand to Zack who took it tentatively in his right hand and…nothing happened. 

Zack was crestfallen. "I knew it. This is some big joke. Barney, Mick come on out the jig is up. You got me." Zack looked around but the store remained quiet. 

"What in Merlin's beard are you talking about?" Ollivander snapped. 

Zack turned to face him. "Nothing happened; I must not be a wizard." 

"Of course you are wizard. Don't be a fool. I told you that the wand chooses the wizard; that was obviously not your wand." 

_I am such an idiot._ Zack handed the wand back to Ollivander who quickly put it back into its box and handed Zack another wand. 

"Yew, 10 and one-half inches, dragon scale – very whippy." Once again nothing happened. "Did you feel anything?" Ollivander asked. 

"No, I'm sorry. Was I supposed to?" Zack was getting concerned again. _What can I do without a wand? I wonder if anyone has ever not "been chosen?_" 

"Pay attention, Mr. Flood. Try this one – Maple 11 inches, Unicorn hair, very flexible." 

"Nope." Zack wasn't sure but he could swear that Ollivander was actually enjoying himself. _Well, if he's not concerned then I'm not hopeless._ Wand after wand made its way into Zack's right hand over the next couple of hours, but still nothing. Ollivander was clearly astonished that no wand had chosen Zack yet. At one point his uncle came in to check on him and he stayed for 15 minutes watching Zack trying out some wands. He told Zack he would go back to the Leaky Cauldron and inform them of his…progress. 

"Is that all of them? Maybe there's another store I can go to?" Zack asked hoping against hope. 

'This is _most_ curious," Ollivander mused aloud and sat down. He must be exhausted. "What am I forgetting?" he mumbled aloud, rubbing his hand together. He jerked his head up and stared hard at Zack. "FLOOD…that's it!" He scurried towards the back of the store and lifted open a grate on the floor, which groaned in protest. Ollivander disappeared but a few moments later reappeared with a box. As he approached, Zack could see that the box was thoroughly covered in dust and cobwebs. It looked to be very old. 

"This wand was made by my grandfather over 300 years ago. I have some wands made by my father and grandfather downstairs, but I haven't sold one since I was still an apprentice for my father. It's the name Flood you see, I knew I'd seen it somewhere. I haven't looked at my sire's wands in going on 50 years. This is quite remarkable." 

_What the hell have I gotten myself in for?_ "So you are saying this is…rare?" Zack was still trying to get a handle on the situation. 

"Not rare. This has _never_ happened. I remember every wand I've ever sold, and I can tell you unequivocally that this has never happened. It's most exciting." 

"I'm glad you think so. To be honest, I'm a little apprehensive." 

Ollivander gently brushed away the dust with a rag and showed Zack the side of the box. In gold lettering, it had F-L-U-D-D in some kind of fancy script. "You see, I told you – Fludd." 

"But the spelling is not the same; my name is spelled F-l-o-o-d." 

"Are you sure?" Ollivander asked and Zack nodded. "Let's give it a try anyway." Ollivander opened the box and examined the contents carefully before removing it. "It is rosewood, 12 inches, surprisingly flexible given when it was made, and phoenix feather - a most excellent wand," he pronounced. "My grandfather was quite an artist, you see here along the handle," he pointed to the dark wood handle, "he engraved symbols of power. That was before we improved the process to eliminate the need for them, still quite beautiful." 

"Do you think I could…try it out?" Zack extended his hand. 

"Of course you may." Ollivander passed over the wand. As soon as his hand approached the wand, Zack knew this was different…very different. Ollivander must have felt it too because he had a look of expectation on his face. Zack's hand grasped the wand and raw power surged through his body. A roar filled his ears and a gust of wind swept through the store. As suddenly as the power rushed into him, it subsided and the world righted itself. 

"Most remarkable!" 

"I think the wand chose me. What do you think?" 

"How droll, Mr. Flood. 12 gold galleons please." 

Still staring at his new wand he scarcely realized he was being spoken to. "Pardon me?" 

"12 gold galleons. I recommend my premium wand cleaning kit as well, for 7 silver sickles." Zack paid for them and asked if he could have the box it came in as well. Ollivander grudgingly agreed and Zack walked out of the store wand in hand and the box cradled under the opposite arm. 

He asked a passer by for the time and was amazed it was past 1 pm. _I'm sure glad Molly got the rest of my stuff._ He spied an ice cream store - _Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor_ – and decided to stop in for directions to the _Leaky Cauldron_ and a treat before lunch. _Life's uncertain - eat dessert first._ The ice cream was excellent and as he ate he couldn't wait to get back to the burrow and try the wand out. 

~~~00~~~ 

_"He has the wand, Master," a rather ordinary looking man declared to a hooded figure sitting at a desk._

The hooded man turned. "I felt it happen. But he is still young and ignorant of his powers; he is no match for me."

"Of course not Master, but the wand has powers of its own. It's best not to be too sure of yourself."

"YOU DARE LECTURE ME…IN MY HOUSE!" The hooded figure stood, took a wand out of his robes and pointed it at the other man.

The other man prostrated himself and reached out with his hand. "Please Master I forgot myself…"

The hooded man just laughed. "Crucio." A green fire engulfed the prostrated man whose face contorted in pain, and screams issued unbidden from his mouth. The hooded man laughed at the agony of the other man until the prostrated man passed out. 

"Lesson over."

~~~00~~~ 

After returning to the burrow, Zack spent the next three days helping Molly prepare for the family reunion, practicing his spells, and cleaning up the eventual messes he made while practicing his spells. Molly showed remarkable patience as Zack had destroyed or set fire to many objects in the house. Even Russell was giving him a wide berth… _so much for loyalty._ Still he couldn't blame her after singeing her tail a bit. Thursday arrived and Zack put his wand aside to give himself –and the furnishings - a rest. Molly asked Zack to clean up the garden, as the party would be outside. 

"Arthur will show you how to do it before he leaves for work." Molly wiped her brow and sat down to write a list. 

"Oh, that's all right, I helped my mom in the garden plenty of times. I just need to know where the tools are." 

Molly smiled. "I don't think there are any tools for garden Gnomes, dear. And by the way I'm leaving to go shopping in a few minutes and should be back in a few hours. Feel free to eat what you like." 

_Gnomes?_ Zack turned to see a chipper-looking Arthur coming in from outside. 

"So Zack, are you ready to learn how to de-Gnome a garden?" 

"I guess so." Zack didn't feel too sure. _Sure I've got a wand but…well, maybe I can poke them with it as a last resort._

Arthur strode outside and indicated several holes in the garden where the Gnomes had burrowed in. He explained that Gnomes were common garden pests resembling a potato with legs. 

"There are poisons to kill them, but I don't feel right about that. So to get rid of them, you grasp the Gnome by the ankles, swing it around a few times to disorient it, and then throw them over this fence." 

"You have got to be joking." 

"No, I am quite serious. You see they are very dim and can't find their way back…for several days, anyway." Arthur bent over and looked into one of the holes. "We need to scare one out so I can demonstrate for you. Oh good, there's Russell, I bet she can help us – Zack if you would do the honors." 

"I'll give it a try…she's not a dog you know. Russell, come here girl." He motioned to the cat that sat staring at him from under the shade of a tree. "You're a big help." Russell ignored him and licked her right side…_anytime is good for a bath I guess._

Looking around he picked up a fairly long stick on the ground. "I'll just poke around down there, one should come up eventually." Arthur nodded and backed up a couple of steps. _Wonderful._ Zack leaned over and poked the stick as far down as it would go. _If the Blob climbs up this stick I'll be quite irritated._ Unexpectedly he heard a squeal and a strange, small creature came sprinting out of a hole a couple of feet away. Russell was off like a shot, chasing the stubby-legged "thing" around the lawn, eventually pinning it on the ground. 

"Good girl, Russell!" Zack shouted and walked quickly over the now vanquished Gnome. 

"Excellent Zack, you have quite a cat there." Arthur bent over towards the Gnome. "Now what you do is grab it around the ankles…like this…and spin it around – which makes it dizzy you see – and throw it over the fence." Arthur threw the squealing Gnome over the fence, and fell down unceremoniously in the process. "Ouch!" he exclaimed. "I guess I'm not as young as I used to be." 

Zack helped him to his feet. "Nonsense, that was an impressive heave…I think it's still going." Zack shaded his eyes with his right hand and looked in the direction of the throw. 

"Kind of you to say, Zack. Now, you've seen how it's done, so I'll be going to work. Good luck…Oh, one other thing once you start in earnest, they will all come rushing up out of their holes to see what's going on, making them easier to catch." 

"That's good, because I doubt Russell will stay interested for very long." He glanced sidelong toward the feline, who was busy washing a front paw. "How many do think there are anyway?" 

He gave Zack a sheepish grin. "We haven't de-Gnomed in several months so there are probably a couple dozen. Good luck." Arthur took a few steps away, mumbled something and Disapparated. 

"It looks like we've a long day ahead of us, girl." He limbered up a bit and used the stick to flush out another one; this time Zack caught it and spun it over his head and threw it over the fence. Arthur was right; all the Gnomes did come out to check out the disturbance. Russell chased first one, then another, all over the grounds. After the fourth Gnome sailed over the fence, he peeled off his shirt and wiped his brow with it. 

"I need to work on my tan anyway." He looked at his stomach and was glad to see that it was still flat and fairly well-muscled. Russell meowed and Zack saw she had caught another one. Zack reached the struggling Gnome and "gave it wings". The afternoon disappeared and so did the legion of Gnomes populating the garden. 

"Damn, this is hot work!" Zack straightened up, cracked his back, and wiped his brow with his back of his right arm. Russell chased what Zack hoped was the last Gnome out of a hole. 

"Come here you little bugger." Zack dove for the Gnome, catching it by its little arm before it could jump in another hole. "You better be the last one," he said, getting to his feet, holding the struggling little creature. He spun it over his head for a couple of seconds and threw it over the fence. "Back, back, back, back…and it's gone!" Zack exclaimed in his best baseball announcer voice. 

"It's gone indeed," a silky female voice said from behind Zack. 

Zack turned and saw an attractive red-haired woman looking him up and down. Nice. She was attired stylishly in a v-neck short sleeve blouse and a short multi-colored skirt that seemed to get shorter as Zack looked at it. _Wait a minute…it really was getting shorter!_ "Are you Ginny?" he asked. 

"Yes I am, and you must be Zack." She saw him looking at her skirt. "Do you like it?" She twirled around giving him a nice look. "It's one of my own creations. I call it the _mini-as-you-like-it skirt._" 

"Yes…it's very interesting." 

"Just _interesting_?" 

"How about provocative?" 

"Much better." Ginny tossed her longish hair back over her shoulder. 

"What do you mean one of your creations?" 

"You are looking at the creator, fashion editor, and sometimes model of _Wizarding Vogue_ magazine. It's currently enjoying its third successful year," she said proudly. 

"I hope you won't be disappointed that I've never had the pleasure." 

"Of course not, mum sent all the kids an owl telling us all about you. Well not all," she said, looking him up and down again. "Fascinating story in the _Prophet_ about you, too. How you fought off a vicious motorcycle gang, cured a dozen injured bystanders, and reattached the head of your niece…very impressive." 

Zack became acutely aware that he was wearing nothing but a pair of tennis shorts and tennis shoes. "I'm glad to see tabloid journalism isn't just a Muggle phenomenon." 

"You mean it's not true?" 

"I do have a niece, but other than that I'd say it's almost a complete exaggeration." He looked around for his shirt. 

"No need to be modest on my account." 

_Definitely not shy_. When he started, he had seen a full rain barrel and decided it was time to cool off. 

"I hope you don't mind, but de-Gnoming is hot work." He sauntered over a few steps to the rain barrel and dunked his head in the cool water. He threw his head back and shook it, water spraying everywhere. "Damn! That's much better." Zack walked back over towards Ginny squeezing excess water out his hair, which dripped onto his sun-soaked chest and back. 

"Be still my heart." She raised an eyebrow and then laughed a pleasant kind of laugh. _That wasn't exactly what I was expecting._ "I think it might be time to tone down the flirting a bit? What do you think?" 

Zack smiled and wiped his face. "But it was so much fun," he mockingly protested. 

She smiled. "Oh, but you are going to be a fun one, aren't you. I think Bill and you will get along famously. In the meantime, Mum will be home soon and I wouldn't want us to get caught." 

_Caught? I guess the flirting isn't completely over._ "You're probably right. The last thing I want to do is upset your parents after they've been so nice to me." 

Sure enough, Molly returned home within the hour, loaded down with two large carpetbags. 

"I assume you two have introduced yourselves," Molly said curtly, frowning at Ginny and the skirt she was wearing. 

"Nice to see you too, mum," Ginny said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. 

Molly didn't respond, but she did smile a little. Zack grabbed one of the carpetbags but had a hard time moving it. 

Ginny just smiled at Zack's struggles and took out her wand, "_Locomotor bags_." The bags floated off the ground and Ginny directed them to circle around Zack before she directed them inside. 

"No showing off, dear," Molly chided, walking in behind the bags. 

Zack and Ginny helped her put away the staggering amount of food and "stuff". He couldn't help but notice that Molly kept looking disapprovingly at Ginny's ensemble. 

"If you two don't mind, I need a shower before dinner, so I take my leave of you." Zack bowed with a flourish and left the room to the giggling of the two red-haired women. 

He first went to his room and drank several large glasses of water, filled up Russell's water bowl, and striped off his sweaty clothes. _Boy, I did get some serious sun_. He wrapped himself in a towel and made his way to the bathroom, looking forward to a nice cool shower. He just stood in the spray letting the cool water run over his hot skin. He started to lather up and when he started on his genitals, his cock started to respond. After only a moment of hesitation, he began massaging his cock and balls in earnest. It had been a while since he'd masturbated and with the recent encounter with Hermione and the flirtation with Ginny, he needed some release. 

The shower curtain slid open. "Would you like a hand with that?" Ginny offered. 

"What the fuck?!" Startled, Zack covered up, embarrassed. 

"Shy are we, I wouldn't have thought so," Ginny said huskily looking Zack up and down. 

"What the hell are you doing…your mom is right downstairs?!" 

"Oh no she's not; she forgot a few things and won't be back for an hour or two. Now where were we?" She removed her clothes and Zack's protests vanished. She had pale skin almost pink, and her breasts, while small, were perfectly proportioned for her size. Her nipples were puffy and hardening as he watched them. Her pubic hair was as red as her hair, not that he would have thought otherwise. 

"I believe you offered to help me…wash my back, was it?" He motioned for her to join him and as he did he removed his hands from his genitals and Ginny looked in appreciation at his still erect cock. 

"I had something else in mind, but if you like, I can wash your back as well." She stepped into the shower, which was adequately sized for two people. "Damn, that water's cold! _Warm_," she directed and the water temperature obeyed. "That's better; now let's get you nice and clean." 

Zack handed her the soap and turned around with a smile on his face. Ginny lathered up her hands and gently kneaded Zack's neck and shoulders. The accumulated grime rinsed off and went down the drain. 

"You certainly are dirty." 

"I think you knew that already," Zack said with a wink. 

"You are a bad boy and I know just what do with bad boys." She worked her way down his back till she reached his buttocks. She soaped up his behind with her right hand and reached around with her left to massage his balls. 

"Mmmm, that feels good," Zack murmured. 

Ginny seized his erection and proceeded to stroke it slowly. Zack stretched his back and moved his hips around enjoying the sensation. Pulling herself against him, Ginny rubbed her breasts against his slick, soapy back. Zack reached behind, pulled her body closer to his, and gyrated in tune with her stroking. Zack slowly broke contact and turned around. He looked into her deep brown eyes and they kissed each other hungrily while Zack massaged her back and her soft and shapely behind. Zack's cock pressed between them and he was afraid he might lose control too soon. 

"Your turn," he announced and turned her around. She put her hands against the wall, her arms outstretched. 

"You have the right to remain silent…although I doubt you will," Zack said while lathering his hands. She glanced sideways at him, but turned back to the wall once he began massaging and caressing her body. Ginny ground her ass into Zack's penis, as he massaged her breasts. They both moaned when Zack nibbled on her neck and pinched her erect nipples. Her moans came faster and more wanton as Zack slid his hand down her stomach. He reached his right hand between her legs and felt her hot slickness. He opened her labia lips with his thumb and middle-finger and let the spray from the shower splash on the slick skin. Ginny writhed in sweet torment as Zack began to use his index finger to massage her clitoris. 

"Oh Zack…that's good," she said breathily. 

Encouraged, Zack increased his rhythm. Ginny squirmed and leaned back into him thrusting her hips forward. After a few seconds, Ginny shuddered and shrieked and Zack felt the convulsions of her body signaling her climax. 

"I think you may have done this before," Ginny said thickly and turned to meet Zack's gaze. She softly kissed and tongued Zack's chest slowly moving downward. "I don't like to get on my knees." 

Zack was confused as Ginny stepped out of the shower for a moment. She returned with her wand. She smiled lasciviously and swished and flicked the wand. "_Wingardium Leviosa_." Zack rose two feet off of the ground almost hitting the ceiling with his head. 

"What the..." he spluttered. 

"Don't worry…I know what I'm doing." She grabbed his slightly-softening penis, which was now level with her mouth, with her hand and stroked until it was hard again. Zack stared down at her and watched her lick his shaft. _She's no novice either_. She took him in her mouth and simultaneously massaged his balls. Her tongue twirled around the head as she stroked his shaft with her right hand. Zack had his hands pressed against the ceiling to help him maintain some sense of balance. His body shuddered as she slowly sucked and massaged his genitals. The combination of fear and pleasure intensified and it didn't take long for Zack to reach orgasm. _This is unbelievable_! His testicles tightened and he warned Ginny of his impending eruption. She took him out of her mouth and jerked his throbbing cock as he shot his semen all the way across the shower, hitting the opposite wall. She kept jerking it until the intensity of it made Zack ask her to stop. 

"I'd say you needed that," Ginny said, lowering Zack back down. She steadied him as his legs gave out on him. 

"What was your first clue? And I believe you didn't find it entirely distasteful, either." Zack raised an eyebrow. They both laughed and got out of the shower after one final rinse, freezing at the sound of the front door closing. 

"Damn, I thought she'd be at least another hour. I was hoping to adjourn to my bedroom for some more…fun," Ginny said wrapping herself in a towel. She peeked out the door. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Zack." 

"The pleasure was all mine, Ginny." 

"Believe me, it was not all yours." She winked and quickly left the bathroom. 

Soon after, Zack heard a male voice asking if anyone was at home, but the voice was too deep to be Arthur's. Zack dried off and poked his head out of the bathroom in time to see a youngish, very tall, red-haired man come around the corner. 

"Hello, I'm Ron Weasley. I'm guessing you must be Zack," he said, walking up and extending his hand. 

Zack took his hand, holding up the towel with his other. "I guess the lack of red hair gave me away, huh." 

Ron chuckled. "Mum was right - you are funny. Have you seen Ginny?" 

Zack felt his face start to burn and hoped the sunburn would hide his embarrassment. "Uh, yeah I met her earlier…outside…I was de-Gnoming the garden." _Relax, you idiot_. 

"I thought the garden looked better than it did the last time I was here. Wasn't it fun?" 

"I guess I did enjoy it in a perverse sort of way. I know my cat sure did." 

"So that was your grey cat outside. I don't much like cats myself…bad experience when I was younger. Anyway, it's nice to meet you, I'll let you get dressed and we can talk more in a bit." 

"Sounds good, I'll be down in a few." Zack closed the door sighing in relief. _That was too close_. He looked in the mirror and imagined what manner of punishment an angry wizard protecting his sister's virtue would mete out. _I don't think I want to find out_. 

Later that evening or maybe it was very early morning; Ginny snuck into his room and guided him back to hers. Zack silently protested all the way to her room, but as soon as the door shut she turned to him and spoke in her normal voice. 

"It's okay, I've soundproofed my room – Fred and George showed me how years ago." 

"Why would they show you that?" 

"Because I blackmailed them, of course." She grinned at Zack's bemused look and continued on. "Fred and George are quite the pranksters you see and growing up here was a constant battle between them and our mum. They devised all sorts of hiding places and cloaking spells to protect their inventions. Well, to make a long story short, I caught them once hiding a batch of _Trouser Snake chocolates_ and in return for not tattling on them they taught me this spell." 

"_Trouser Snake chocolates_?" Zack asked concerned. 

"Yes they were quite proud of those. Harmless to women but if a man ate one their – wanker – turned into a snake for about 30 seconds." She blushed and chuckled. 

Zack laughed heartily and subconsciously put his hand over his crotch. _Damn good thing I didn't put my hand in that crevice I found in their room_. Ginny looked adorable in a matching nightshirt and panties and Zack decided to ask a question or two. 

"I may regret this but – why are we doing this? I mean, I'm far from complaining but I would like to know where we are headed…if you know what I mean?" _How could she know; I don't even know what the hell I just said_. 

Ginny raised her eyebrows at his question, looked away for a moment, and then looked him straight in the eyes. "You are certainly different than the other men I've slept with. Most are so happy to get bonked they don't look for reasons." Zack responded with a shy smile, and she reciprocated. "When I first saw you I thought you were kind of dishy and from what I've heard from mum and dad I knew you were a decent sort as well." 

"Well for what it's worth you're kind of _dishy_ too." Ginny blushed pink in response. "But the last thing I want to do is lead you on or anything." 

She laughed at him. "You're so bloody noble - how can I not be attracted to you? But don't worry. I won't expect any proposal for at least a month. We have to get to know each other better, you see. What do you think about a December wedding?" 

Zack felt the pit of his stomach disappear like he just went down the big hill of a roller coaster. _What do I do now?_ He looked at Ginny who had her hand over her mouth. _Was that a smile_? 

"You're winding me up, aren't you?" Zack asked hopefully. 

Ginny laughed at him. "Well of course I am, you mug. I'm only 23 and marriage is not on my agenda anytime soon. But at your age…" 

"Careful now," he teased. 

"Seriously, I just ended a very unsatisfying relationship and I wanted to break out a bit." 

"So this is your idea of fun?" 

"Why…isn't it yours?" 

"Excellent point. But most women aren't so open about sex. I'm curious; did women's lib ever find its way into the wizarding world?" 

"We never needed it; there have been witches and wizards as long as anyone can remember. So we've always been on more or less equal footing." 

"Interesting…so you want us to be…for lack of better term _fuck-buddies_?" Zack asked. 

"I've never heard the term, but crass as that sounds, seems accurate." 

"I am curious about something." 

"What would that be?" Ginny asked watching Zack. 

"If you're ticklish!" Zack picked her up and carried her giggling to the bed where passion quickly replaced the laughter. The sex was otherworldly and more than three hours later Zack, having orgasmed twice more – that made three times in one day, he realized with surprise – was completely spent. Ginny gave Zack a peck on the cheek and feel asleep almost immediately. It was almost 4 AM when he snuck out to go back to his own room. His legs wobbled as he carefully made his way to his room, praying he didn't run into Ron. He fell asleep almost immediately and his last thought was relief that the party was not tomorrow. 

~~~00~~~ 

_My gratitude to Juliane and Lillith for editing my story _

Please review! Thank you. 


	7. Chapter 7 Weasleys, Weasleys, Weasleys!

Late for School - Chapter 7

By Archie Leach 

* * *

Zack felt satisfied. Sex three days in a row will do that. The sound-proofing spell on Ginny's room worked like a charm…_so to speak_. He didn't know if it was Ginny, the fear of getting caught, and/or the use of magic in most interesting ways, but this was some of the best sex of his life. Ginny told him flat out that he was the best she'd ever had. Last night's game of Naughty Wizard Twister, lent by her photographer friends from work - Phoenix and Juliane- proved to be most entertaining. _Left-foot-red_ caused her skirt to disappear and _right-hand-purple_ left him bound helpless to her every whim. _I bet she fixed the spinner_. Then _left-hand-yellow_ made a feather appear. She left no part untickled…feet, arms, …parts. He chuckled to himself, but she more than made up for it after the game was over. He started to feel a rise in his boxers. _Haven't you had enough? Yeah, I know, ask a silly question…_

He sat up and glanced toward the window - dawn was coming. Yawning and stretching, he laid back down. _These nocturnal missions are wearing me out._ He winced at the bad pun. The daylight hours spent trying to stay out of the _Molly-tornado_ gave him no rest either. The crack through the curtain showed the sky to be cloudy and forbidding, but Molly assured everyone Saturday would be perfect. 

All week Ron seemed to be auditioning for a part in _Wuthering Heights_. When he wasn't brooding, he was throwing the occasional none-too-friendly glance at Zack. But he never said anything and Zack acted clueless. _Not hard to do right now_. He and Ron did talk, mainly about a Quidditch, a sport that Ron seemed obsessed with. Zack had friends back in the States that felt similarly about baseball, basketball, football, etc… so he didn't think it too odd. Zack hoped to learn more about Hermione, but couldn't miss Ron's loneliness so he left it alone. Zack felt an occasional twinge of guilt about Hermione even though they agreed to be just friends for now. _Not a chance I'm waiting seven years for anyone. Still…_

Charlie's son Arthur began exercising his lungs in the next room and Zack looked over at the clock. It was only just past 7 AM, but he knew he'd never get back to sleep. Sure enough, Charlie and Elyssia got up and tried to placate the tyke. _Maybe I can get a soundproofing spell, too_. When they arrived last night, Zack's eyes widened when he saw Elyssia sporting an Oakland Raiders football jersey – the Kansas City Chiefs' dreaded rival. Even so, he was glad to talk to someone who knew what _real_ football was. They also talked about medicine after he found out she was a Muggle doctor. Charlie, not as tall as Ron, had a powerful grip and looked to be quite strong. The dragons he worked with sounded fascinating but much too dangerous for Zack to consider. The rest of the family was due to arrive sometime this morning. He remembered Hermione's earlier warning about the whole family being together. He hoped she was only teasing him. 

Not fifteen minutes went by when Molly roused everyone out of bed to come down for breakfast. They all crowded around the kitchen table and Molly couldn't wipe the smile from her face. When the baby threw up on her Zack thought she would bust with pride. He stabbed a banger and ate it voraciously, watching Ginny, her leg up on a bench - giving Zack a nice view – talking to Charlie. Ron, witnessed the proceedings, had a resigned look on his face as if he'd seen all this many times before. 

"Fancy a game of _wizard's chess_?" Ron asked, seeing as how Zack had finished his breakfast. 

"Sure, why not. Is it similar to regular…I mean Muggle chess?" Zack responded and saw Ginny look over. 

"The pieces obey the same rules, but it's more fun." Ron smiled and Zack thought he saw an engaging person under all the angst. 

"All right then, you lead the way." 

They went up to Ron's room and set up the board. The pieces were odd and looked like they'd been trampled on a time or two. Zack had white so he moved first. He tried to pick up his King-side knight but it wouldn't budge. 

"You don't move the pieces with your hand," Ron corrected him. 

"Don't tell me I need to use my wand; I'd likely melt the piece or something." Zack still could not cast a reasonable spell. 

Ron chuckled. "Naw, you just announce your move and the pieces do the rest." 

The pieces actually attacked each other, smashing the opponent's piece to bits…Zack loved it! He sacrificed a castle just to see how a bishop would kill it. It didn't take Zack long to see he was not in Ron's class. He lost the first game in less than 20 moves and only "improved" to losing in about 30 moves in game two. Zack determined to really concentrate in game three. He was holding his own, if only barely, when Ron spoke. 

"How do you like boinking my sister?" 

_OH SHIT…THINK FAST!_ Zack's pulse began to race and he broke into a sweat. He thought he saw Ron inching towards his wand but he picked up his glass and took a drink. Zack's mouth went dry and he gulped down the rest of his own water, refilled the glass and drained it as well. _How tall is this guy anyway?_

"I…like Ginny…she's neat." _Neat…what the fuck is that!?_ Zack wiped his sweaty brow with the back of his right hand and smiled tentatively. 

"Neat, huh. Is that all?" Ron said staring keenly at Zack, both of his elbows on the table. 

"She's nice…and pretty too." _I'm doomed._

"Don't you think she's sexy?" 

Zack arched his eyebrows. _This is getting too weird._ "Well…" No matter how hard he tried he couldn't figure out what to say next. 

"Are you two gonna get married? Have lotsa kids?" Ron asked with a lilt to his voice. 

Suddenly Zack knew. "You're fuckin' with me, aren't you?" 

Ron spoke in between fits of laughter. "You… shoulda…seen the look on your face, mate…I thought you might faint." 

"Men don't faint - we pass out, and yes, you are a son of a bitch." Zack smiled, wiped his brow, and nervously joined in the laughter. "How did you know, anyway?" 

Ron wiped away some tears from his eyes. "Her room is right below mine and there's a spot in the corner where her soundproofing spell isn't working too well. I swear you two are like rabbits." 

Zack's face turned about four different shades of red. "Hem, I… You're not mad, are you?" 

"Not me. I learned a long time ago that Ginny can…and will…handle her own affairs. If I stuck my nose into her love life, well, I don't want to think what she would do." Ron shuddered. "Shall we finish the game then?" 

A knock on the door followed and Ginny let herself in. "What are you two doing? We could hear Ron laughing all the way downstairs." Zack and Ron exchanged innocent looks and then both looked at Ginny, who was now standing with her hands on her hips. "I'm guessing our little fling is no longer a secret." 

"You might want to recheck your soundproofing spell. You have a weak spot in the ceiling," Ron advised. 

"I guess it never occurred to you to _tell me._" 

"Oh, it occurred to me. But how often does such a chance come along?" Ron turned to Zack. "How did'ya like my occasional brooding look?" Ron demonstrated the look for them. 

"Very impressive…you should have been an actor," Zack suggested. 

"What do you think Ginny, should I pursue the stage?" Ron asked with a flourish. 

"I'm certain you don't want to know what I'm thinking." Ginny gave Ron a withering glance. 

"Ouch. Okay, I give. Some people just can't take a joke." 

Ginny did not look pleased. "Bill just got here, and I want Zack to meet him." Ginny slipped her arm under Zack's and led him towards the door. 

"Thanks for the games, Ron. I must say, you are quite good." 

"Thanks, mate. I'll be down after I put the pieces away." 

"So, what's Bill like?" Zack asked as he and Ginny descended the stairs. 

"He's…how do you say it, _got it going on._" 

"Where did you hear that?" 

"Muggle TV. A show called the _M-T-V Fashion Awards_. It had loads of yummy ideas for next year's clothing line." 

Zack groaned inwardly and took the final steps alone as Ginny had stepped ahead of him. 

Bill Weasley was cool. It wasn't the earrings or the odd looking boots – god knows what what they were made out of - or the ponytail. He exuded that kind of confident self-assurance one had to have to be cool. _If I was gay, I'd have a poster of this guy in my room._ Zack shook the thought out of his head and approached Bill, who at the moment was surrounded by the rest of the clan, fielding questions. The closer Zack got the more he felt he'd seen him before. But when Bill turned and their eyes met, Zack sensed no recognition from him. 

"You must be Zack," Bill said, rising from his seat and extending his hand. 

"And you must be the famous Bill Weasley I've heard so much about," Zack replied shaking hands. Zack noticed his hands seemed somewhat dry and calloused, but not as much as Charlie's. 

"Anything interesting?" 

"Well, no one's willing to tell me any juicy bits, if that's what you mean." 

"I've always been good at hiding my tracks." Bill winked. 

"Now, Bill, you stop that. Not in front of the little one," Molly chided, holding little Arthur in her arms. 

"Mom, he's like 6 months old. I doubt he'll be emotionally scarred." Bill glanced over at Zack, as if to indicate the frequency of this exchange between him and his mother. 

Zack intervened. "So, Bill. Ginny tells me you work in Egypt. It must be fascinating work." 

"Yeah, it's all right. The sand su…" Bill paused at a look from Molly, "is most unpleasant. It gets in everywhere…and I do mean everywhere. I had to place wards on all my windows and doors just to keep my place clean. I even spell my undergarments to keep from chafing." 

Zack laughed, but the rest of the Weasley's nodded in understanding. "You're serious. There is an…anti-sand spell?" 

"Not exactly, but as an old professor once told me _Magic is what you make of it_. And between you and me, I've made a lot out of it." Bill winked again and turned to look at Molly. 

Molly's face turned beet red. "William Wordsworth Weasley!" 

"Aw mum, leave him alone. He's almost 40 years old," Ginny said. 

"Ginny, I think I'm better off without your help. Almost 40 years old, indeed." 

Ginny, Molly, and Bill exchanged a few verbal volleys before Bill turned his attention back to Zack. 

"So Zack, mum tells me you had an interesting experience at _Ollivanders?_" Bill asked. 

"Interesting is one word. Long and tedious are two other ones. I think I went through every wand in the store before he found one for me." Zack noticed that all the other conversations had stopped and they were all looking at him. 

"Really? I went through 20 or so before I got mine," Bill said taking out his dark brown wand. "How about you Charlie?" 

"I dunno, I think it was only two or three for me. Ginny?" 

"He got it right on the first try," Ginny stated. 

"I bet that's about the only time you've been that easy to deal with," Ron said coming down the stairs. 

There were a few chuckles from Charlie, Bill, and even Arthur – although he did his best to hide it. Ginny silenced them with a withering stare. _I sure hope she never turns that look my way._ Ron acted contrite, but Zack knew it for an act. 

"May I see your wand, Bill?" Zack asked, interrupting the awkward silence. Bill handed it over to him. It was a little longer than Zack's but not quite as thick. Zack also noticed it had no markings on it, just as Ollivander had said. "It's nice…seems well used." 

"I use it everyday and often in very inhospitable places. May I see yours, then?" 

"I'll have to go get it; it's in the room." Zack noticed the disbelieving looks on most everyone's face. "I thought it safer – for all of us – that I don't carry it around on my person," he explained. 

Molly came to his defense. "I think that's very sensible, dear. Now, go on ahead fetch your wand." 

Zack went up the stairs, not thinking about the reunion or Bill Weasley or even Ginny but about the limitations put on one's wardrobe by constantly carrying a wand. _How the hell can I carry a wand in jogging shorts?_ He retrieved the wand, still thinking about the amount of clothes he had that were "wand unfriendly." _Maybe Ginny can help. Hip clothes for the wand toting wizard in your life. Hey, maybe I could have been in marketing…nah._ He grabbed the wand but left the box in the room. They don't need to see everything, he reasoned. 

He took it downstairs, feeling very protective of it. He shook his head and hurried back to the group. 

"Here it is," Zack said, holding it out to Bill, straining to keep his hand steady. 

Bill gently took it in his hand and looked at it. "Interesting markings around the handle…symbols of some kind. I've never seen anything like it. Dad, you seen anything like this down at the Ministry?" 

"There are few wands in the _English Museum for Wizards and Witches_ that have symbols carved in the handle, but they belonged to wizards or witches long since departed. It is all very interesting," Arthur said, pushing his glasses up his nose. 

Fascinated, Zack listened to the family discuss the unique properties of his wand and about wands in general. After a few minutes, he began to feel a little tense. _It's going to be hard enough fitting in at 32 years old as it is._

"Dad, did you recognize any of the symbols on the handle?" Ron asked, leaning over Bill's shoulder to get a closer look. 

"One of them is clearly a flower, probably a rose of some kind, but the others do not look familiar." 

"I see the rose – and I think it is definitely a rose – but the other two aren't familiar. Wait a minute." Bill sat up, looking very closely at the wand. 

"What is it, Bill?" Ginny asked excitedly, looking at Zack and smiling. 

"I know this symbol…I've seen it somewhere. In Egypt, I think." He was looking at a symbol roughly in the shape of an "X" or a cross. 

"Egypt? Why would I have a symbol from Egypt on my wand?" Zack asked. 

"I don't know, Zack. Didn't you ask Ollivander what the symbols were? He made the wand after all." Bill asked. 

"He didn't make the wand, his grandfather did." Everyone turned towards Zack. 

Arthur spoke. "Are you sure he said it was made by his grandfather?" Zack nodded and Arthur took off his glasses and seemed to be calculating in his head. "That would make this wand over 200 years old." The rest of the family stared at Zack in amazement. 

"He said it was over 300 years old." Zack felt reluctant to talk about his experience at _Ollivanders_, but he was hoping for some insight. Unfortunately, they seemed as dumbfounded as he was. 

Bill turned the wand over in his hands. "Zack, do you mind if I trace the pattern of these symbols? I'd like to compare them to some of the artifacts I've found in Cairo." 

"Sure…I guess, as long as you don't mind." 

"Not a problem. Curse breaking is interesting work, but it'll be nice to research something a little less dangerous." 

Zack felt as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders that he didn't realize was there. "Thanks, I really appreciate it." Molly gave Bill a pencil and paper and he carefully traced the symbols. 

"Isn't it time we moved outside?" Charlie asked, looking at the window. "The sky is clearing and the sun has decided to make an appearance…just as mum predicted." 

They all grabbed something – well, Zack _grabbed_ - everyone else used their wands - and moved the festivities outside. Upon stepping outside, Zack took a deep breath - it truly was a glorious day. He squinted at the bright sky and did a double take. Either his eyes were deceiving him or two large birds were swooping in. No one else had seemed to notice. 

"Excuse me – but what are those?" Zack pointed into the sky. 

"Oh my heavens! Arthur…they wouldn't…they couldn't…" Molly hemmed and hawed alternatively looking and averting her eyes. 

As the objects drew closer, they looked like…carpets. _Flying carpets?_ The siblings were all laughing and pointing and soon the red hair on the two riders of these carpets told Zack why. It was the twins arrived at last. _I have to admit, they know how to make an entrance._

"It's about time you came outside," one twin called out as they neared – his carpet had an embroidered "F" on it. 

"Yeah, we've been circling for over half an hour," George added sweeping just over their heads clearly showing the embroidered "G." 

Baby Arthur was laughing and squirming, reaching out towards the two flying Weasleys. Elyssia held him tight and noticed Zack looking at her. 

"Your first time meeting the twins, I take it?" she asked. 

"It certainly is, but Hermione and Ginny have told me a few things to prepare me," Zack answered, watching the twins show off with some pretty intricate maneuvers to the oohs and ahhs of the appreciative crowd. Except for Molly, of course, who was animatedly yelling at them to come down immediately and struggling to reach her wand, which Arthur held away from her. 

"They are…well, I'm not sure what they are. But they are most certainly Weasleys," Elyssia finished and shrugged her shoulders. 

"What was that dear?" Charlie asked distractedly. 

"Oh nothing, I just dropped the baby in the well." 

"That's nice…DID YOU SEE THAT - A 360! Nice one Fred." Charlie rubbed his fingers together as he watched them. Zack knew he'd be on one of the carpets before the day was through. Elyssia seemed to know it too. 

"Arthur, please do something," Molly pleaded, "the neighbors might see." 

Arthur was enjoying the spectacle as much as his kids but resignedly signaled the twins to land. 

That hadn't even set foot on the ground when Molly launched into them. "You know those are illegal! How dare you bring them to our house…" She continued unabated for several minutes and Zack was impressed with the sheer energy with which she berated them. When she stopped the twins did not seem the least bit repentant. 

"Mum, I can't tell how much we've missed your beautiful face." Fred said giving her a hug 

"And your beautiful voice," the other twin finished. Molly tried to stay angry but couldn't and directed them to get a drink. 

"Hey, Bill – Charlie it's been a long time," Fred came over and shook their hands and was soon followed by George. 

"Nice carpets, where did'ya get them?" Charlie asked, taking a closer look at the red and gold colored carpets. 

"A bit of barter with Durmstrang," George said, taking a bite of a roll. 

Fred took a drink of punch and wiped his mouth. "The delicate company precludes me from going into detail," he looked at Elyssia and Molly, "but suffice it to say we taught a lesson to a certain unfaithful husband." 

"Oh? Anyone we know?" Bill asked. 

"We promised we wouldn't tell," George started. 

"But we can be bribed," Fred finished. 

"That's quite enough, you two. Now, why don't you tell us if there is anyone special in your lives?" Molly asked hopefully. 

The twins rolled their eyes and groaned. Molly smiled at their reaction. Soon the family began catching up in earnest. It turned out the twins owned a (quite successful) magic and practical joke shop. At times during the conversations they mentioned several new inventions: a bucking broom, a trick golden snitch that could be called with a secret word, shampoo that turned your hair into porcupine quills for 30 minutes, etc… 

After a bit, Fred noticed Zack. "I'm sorry, we haven't been with the family for awhile… you must be Zack. I'm Fred and that guy over there," he motioned across the table, "is George. It's a pleasure to meet you." He extended his hand and Zack shook it…but wished he hadn't. His arm suddenly sprouted feathers and became a wing or at least wing-like. Zack could still see some of his own skin between the feathers. 

"FRED WEASLEY! You remove that spell immediately!" Molly screamed and rushed to Zack's side. Ginny and Ron moved in for a closer look. 

"It's a new product we're trying out. Haven't got a name just yet though," George said, walking over to take a look. "Aw, Mum it'll wear off in a minute. I swear his arm will be good as new." 

Initially shocked, Zack soon looked closely at his _wing._ The change was such that he could flap the wing and even ruffle the feathers. 

"What are you looking at?" Fred asked. 

"I was marveling at the completeness of the change. How does my brain know how to flap the wing and ruffle the feathers?" 

"You're not much fun to play a joke on, you know that?" George said. 

"Yeah, if everyone acted like you we'd be out of business." Fred added. 

He looked up and saw Ginny laughing at the twin's consternation. "You two look like someone stole your favorite toy," Ginny said. 

Zack watched his feathers fall out onto the ground and be blown away in the breeze. Russell came out of the shed, pawed at a few, then loped over to the table. 

"Whose cat?" Bill asked, giving Russell an appreciated scratch on her head. 

Zack had just taken a bite out of an apple, so Ginny spoke up. "It's Zack's – her name is Russell." 

"Russell is it?" He picked her up and gave her an all over scratching, causing loud rumbling noises to issue from the feline. "I've grown quite fond of cats since moving to Egypt. They are looked on as divine. The old spells often involved cats as well." Russell nipped Bill's hand and leapt away. 

"Well, that's gratitude for ya," Ron said. 

Zack chuckled. "She does that to show us she's still in charge. You okay, Bill?" 

"I'm fine, she didn't even leave a mark." 

The food and drink were plentiful and the conversation fascinating. Zack wished he had a tape recorder so he could look up all of the different terms they used. Not for the first time did he wish his memory abilities were not just for the written word. He sat back and watched the Weasley's enjoying themselves. Still, he sensed a reticence about their behavior. They kept looking around as if they were expecting something. An owl arrived later carrying a letter. _How strange?_ Molly took off the letter, read it and promptly went inside the house stifling some tears. She dropped the note on the table and Charlie picked it up. 

"Listen to this – _So sorry I was unable to attend the reunion, I was unavoidably detained – Percy._" Charlie crumpled up the note and threw it on the ground. "What a wanker!" 

"You said it Charlie. If he were here…" Ron started, stood up, and stomped off away from the table his hands jammed in his pockets. 

The mood at the table turned somber and Zack remembered seeing Percy's picture the other day. He did look different from the rest of the family. Thinking back on his exploration of the house he remembered Percy's room and how…empty it was. Nothing in the room spoke of any passion he may have had or what he did for fun. _I guess he was the white sheep in a family of black ones._ But, sending such a paltry note explaining his absence bordered on cruel in Zack's mind. Molly had been planning this party for months and for Percy to ruin it for her made Zack angry. But seeing as how this was not his family he stayed out of it. Ginny read the crumbled note and heaved a sigh. She looked over at Zack and gave him a shy smile. Zack smiled back and walked over to her. 

"You all right, Ginny?" 

"A little disappointed, but I can't say I'm surprised. Percy was always the odd person out in the family." Ginny had smoothed out the note and held it in her lap. 

"Someone should go in and check on your mum – she looked devastated," Zack added with a look towards the house. 

Before Ginny could respond, the door to the house opened and Molly and Arthur came out. She walked over the twins and apologized for yelling at them and then gave them both hugs. She then sat down and took a drink from her cup. 

Zack looked over at Ginny. "You know what I need…a real drink. Is there any whisky in the house?" 

Bill's voice answered behind him. "You are so right mate, some Old Ogden's is definitely in order AND it just so happens I have a couple of bottles in my bags – they were destined for Cairo." Bill headed quickly into the house and returned with said bottles. 

Ginny had told the others and they were all waiting for him as he walked up…cups in hand and outstretched. He laughed and opened the first bottle. Molly frowned but took the glass Arthur gave her. After everyone had a glass, Bill spoke. 

"Cheers to a beautiful day, a wonderful family, the best mother and father in the world, and to our most recent additions - little Arthur and Zack." Bill raised his glass, but before they drank, a loud meow came from under the table. Everyone chuckled and Zack bent down, picked up Russell, and gave her a quick scratch behind the ears. 

"I guess she didn't want to be left out." Zack said looking flushed as the attention of the entire family was turned towards him. He looked at Ginny who gave him a sly wink, which made Zack blush all the more. 

Bill raised his glass again. "And last but not least to Russell as well then…cheers!" 

"Cheers!" Everyone echoed and then drank from their glasses. The bottle quickly made its way around the table again. The liquor loosed their tongues and the conversation began, even louder and more chaotic than before. 

Watching the proceedings, Zack cleared his throat and visibly composed himself. "I'd like to offer a toast as well." The family stopped and turned to him. _God, I feel like I'm back in high school right before a debate._ Ginny smiled encouragingly, and Ron gave him a thumbs up. This relaxed him enough to continue. "To all of you for making me feel so welcome and helping me deal with my…unusual situation." Zack drank and they followed suit. In much better spirits, the family looked at him with smiles and bright faces. 

Encouraged by the reception they were giving him, he warmed to his task. "I'd like to thank Arthur for showing me how to rid a garden of gnomes…a skill I'm sure will come in handy for all of my future garden endeavors." The family all laughed and drank to the toast. 

"To Ginny for being so nice to me and showing me the ropes…about magic I mean." Zack turned beet red and so did Ginny. Ron laughed so hard he fell off of his chair, and the rest of family chuckled. 

Fred looked over at Ginny. "What ropes would those be, Ginny?" 

"Yeah, I hope you used some of ours at least," George added with a wink. 

Ginny's face flushed pink, but she rallied. "Would you give me a family discount then?" 

"Ginny!" Molly said, standing up. 

Arthur smiled and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Molly, I believe she was joking." 

Molly looked over at Ginny clearly unsure was to whether her daughter was joking or not. But she sat back down and soon turned her attention to little Arthur who was playing with his food. _If she only knew._

"I do have one more toast," Zack said loudly to be heard over the din, which quieted. He ambled over towards Molly as he began to speak. "I especially want to thank Molly for being so patient and kind…not to mention forgiving. I lost count of the number of times I almost set the house on fire." Zack paused to let their laughter subside. "Seriously, you're a wonderful woman Molly and if I didn't like Arthur so much he might have a fight on his hands." He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on her flaming red cheek. She quickly put her hand over the place on her cheek where he kissed her and giggled. 

Molly regained her composure. "Well don't just stand there, let's get the feast started." Immediately the family sprang into action - the snacks and such were cleared away and the feast appeared. It started with a selection of cheeses: Stilton, Cheshire, double Gloucester, red Leicester, sage Derby, cheddar of course, and some baguette. Smoked salmon with capers and cream cheese made an appearance. Some kind of puff pastry with vegetables and fish, added to the rapidly filling tables. Arthur made some kind of apple cider punch, with emphasis on the punch. But the _pièce de résistance_ was an entire roast venison that appeared out of nowhere, complete with the spit and the fire pit. 

"Boy, mum, you really outdid yourself," Ron mumbled appreciatively, biting into a sizable piece of a leg. 

"You probably have a bit more money without us kids around, huh dad?" Bill said taking a drink of punch and stabbing a hunk of cheese with his fork. 

"I must admit, it is a bit easier to make ends meet." 

"Arthur don't say such a thing…we were glad for every minute you kids were in the house," Molly protested and rose, a little unsteadily, out of her seat. She giggled and hiccoughed. _I guess the punch and whisky may be going to her head._

What does one do when you are full and more than a bit tipsy…play Quidditch of course! At least that was the consensus of the Weasley siblings. They all went inside the house and came out with brooms and a beat-up old chest of some kind. Zack thought they were nuts. _Oh well, it should provide for some interesting viewing._

Charlie walked over to Arthur. "Hey dad, we still got that old training broom?" 

"I think it's in the shed. But what do want with that old thing?" Arthur asked. 

"It's not for me; I thought Zack could give it a whirl." Charlie looked over at Zack with a malevolent sneer (or maybe it was a jocular smile) and trotted over the shed. Either way Zack sensed that doom was upon him at last. 

~~~00~~~ 

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Flood, It is with great sadness that we inform you your son Zack ran headlong into a tree today…several times._

~~~00~~~ 

"Come on Zack, you'll love it!" Ginny said, zooming over his head, red hair whipping behind her, and a huge smile on her face. Bill, Fred, and George all flew their brooms in with similar joyous abandon. _I wonder if they're always this happy when they fly or if it's the booze._

Charlie came back with a decrepit broom with straps like safety belts and stirrups like one had on a saddle. "Dad designed this so we wouldn't get hurt when we first started. It has a special anti-crash spell on it. The twins had a blast trying to see how close they could get to crashing." 

~~~00~~~ 

_We apologize for the state of his remains. Garden Gnomes were able to eat a goodly amount before we were able to retrieve the body – the Quidditch match being tied at the time of the accident…_

~~~00~~~

"Oh good…that makes me feel SO much better." Zack reluctantly accepted the broom. 

"It's perfectly safe Zack; I used it to train our kids. Didn't we Molly?" Molly did not answer as she was busy snoozing in the shade. Arthur looked at Zack and shrugged. "I'll help strap you in." 

Strapped in, Zack watched the Weasley _kids_ zooming around for a few minutes. Ron slowed down and hovered over where Zack stood, straddling the broom. 

"C'mon mate, we won't let anything happen to you," Ron shouted, waving for him to join them. Ron and Zack watched as, just then, Charlie careened towards the roof of the shed after bumping into Bill – missing it by scant inches. 

Ron looked back towards Zack and shrugged. "He missed it didn't he?" 

_What the hell am I doing…I don't even like flying in planes?_ He looked over at Arthur. "How does this thing work, again?" 

"You kick the ground hard to rise. To go left you pull the broom left, to go right you pull to the right, to go forward you lean forward, push down to go down, and to stop you pull up on the broom and sit upright. And don't forget that the broom also takes cues from your thoughts. Good luck." 

Good luck, he says. Zack took a deep breath and let it out through his nose. He closed his eyes and kicked off the ground like he was jumping and felt the broom rise, albeit unsteadily. Zack gripped the handle as hard as he could and made no movements. The broom hovered three feet off of the ground. He opened his eyes slowly and saw that he was in the air…on a broom…_holy shit!_

Ginny zoomed by. "Come and get me Zack," she teased. 

He looked up at her, as she was now circling back towards him. "Not a chance!" he shouted. He took his right hand off of the broom to emphasize his point and the broom jerked to the left. Startled he grabbed the broom with his right hand and pulled back to the right to compensate, but alas he pulled too hard and started to spin in an ever rising spiral. 

"Zack, relax your hands!" Bill shouted, coming over to lend assistance. 

"I…I…I…am gonna be sick," Zack said. He was so dizzy he accidentally leaned forward and the broom shot forward right at Ron who was no more than 40 feet away. 

"LOOK OUT!" Zack shouted. 

"Bloody hell!" Ron responded and took his broom into a nose dive, narrowly avoiding Zack, white-faced, clinging to his broom. 

But the anti-crash spell on Zack's broom had already reacted to the imminent collision and Zack shot up and to the left. Terrified, Zack pushed the broom handle down and proceed to hurtle straight down. The roast venison became larger and larger. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as he headed straight for the most intimate part of the animal. _And we haven't even been properly introduced._ The anti-crash spell once again saved his ass as he pulled up and to the right, narrowly avoiding the snoozing Molly and a startled Russell, who had taken up residence in the tree above. Molly shot out her chair, startled by the near miss. 

"What in Merlin's beard is going on?" she shouted rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She squinted at the hurtling figure on the training broom. She pulled out her wand and strode over towards a shrinking Arthur. "And whose bright idea was it to have Zack ride a broom?" 

"It just kind of happened Molly…the boy has to learn sometime…doesn't he?" Arthur asked uncertainly. 

Molly stood with her hands on her hips. 

The twins were betting each other whether Zack would crash or not…the spell was old afterall, maybe it could wear off. Ron was staying as far away as possible, but Bill, Ginny, and Charlie were all shouting instructions to Zack. 

The motion of the broom, the whisky, the overindulgence of food were too much, and he heaved his guts into the empty field where he had thrown the garden Gnomes. His head throbbed terribly as the wind whipping against his face made the act of puking even more wretched. _Hermione you were so right…just too many Weasleys at one time._ The tenseness in his body drained out as exhaustion fell upon him. The broom slowed down and Ginny pulled along side and helped guide him to the ground. 

"And you said it would be fun," a bleary-eyed Zack moaned. 

"I had fun." 

"I can't tell you how glad I am to hear that," Zack groaned, as they arrived at the ground in front of Molly. She immediately spelled the straps loose and levitated Zack off the broom and into the chair under the tree. Elyssia went over, felt his forehead, and looked into his eyes. 

"How many fingers?" she asked, holding up three fingers. 

"Fingers?" Zack asked. Elyssia looked over at Molly and Molly sprang into action. 

"Ginny - cool, damp towels. Bill - restorative and anti-hangover potions…you know where they are." She gave him a brief disapproving look. "Arthur…you put that broom away right this minute." 

Charlie walked over holding a squirming child. "Honey, do you need your bag?" 

"No, I think Molly has it all under control," Elyssia responded checking Zack's pulse. "No permanent damage, he just needs some rest." 

Ginny wiped off Zack's face and hands with the damp towels. "Is that better?" 

"Uh huh," Zack grunted, relief showing on his ashen face. 

"Well, look at that. I'd say Ginny must be sweet on poor, sick Zack. What do you think Fred?" George said, dismounting from his broom. 

"I'd say you're right…if Ginny's angry expression is any indication." 

Ginny gave them a sidelong glance. "Honestly, will you two ever grow up?" They both gave her pained expressions. "How silly of me." 

A couple of moments later Zack choked down the restorative and anti-hangover potions. Once again, the potions amazing powers were unleashed and Zack felt almost as good as new in a few minutes. Molly, seeing Zack on his way to recovering, went inside the house. 

"Are all of your family get togethers like this?" Zack asked Ginny. 

"No. Most are much more eventful." 

"So it's your practice to torture all of your guests." 

"You should know," she whispered in his ear and flicked his lobe with her tongue. 

Zack turned red, but breathed a sigh of relief seeing that no one seemed to notice. "You are bad." She smiled in reply and walked over to the table, flashing her shapely butt in the process. Zack shook his head. A squawk from his feet got his attention and he felt Russell jump into his lap. She sniffed disapprovingly and leapt off, trotting towards the house. _I guess I am a bit ripe._ Zack went inside, cleaned up and changed his clothes. He returned in time for Molly to reveal the dessert. 

"Trifle, anyone?" Molly announced, levitating an enormous bowl, of what looked to be, raspberry trifle. Everyone clapped and whistled as the bowl settled onto a clear spot on the table. 

Fully restored, his stomach rumbled at the sight of the custard and cream and fruit and cake. He started to rise and heard a different kind of rumbling. Curiously it sounded as if it was coming from the sky. The rest of the family seemed oblivious to the nearing sound as they talked, laughed, and ate. Ron looked over at Zack noticing him looking into the sky. He walked over, toting his overflowing bowl of Trifle. 

"What is it, Zack?" 

"Do you hear a rumbling sound?" Zack asked, trying to orient on the sound. 

"Now that you mention it, I do hear it. It sounds like an engine." He scanned the skies as well, but continued to eat heaping spoonfuls of his dessert. 

The table quieted as they slowly took notice of Zack and Ron scanning the skies. 

"What are you guys doing?" Fred asked. 

With everyone quiet the noise became easier to hear and everyone looked around. _A motorcycle?_ And then suddenly an enormous figure burst through the clouds, riding said motorcycle. Even several hundred yards away he knew the…rider, was huge. 

Ron smiled and shouted. "HAGRID!" The family all began waving excitedly at the figure in the sky. The rider waved back. The family evidently knew this behemoth that rode on motorcycles in the sky. _Of course they do…he's riding a flying motorcycle, why wouldn't they know him._

"Ginny, who is that? He has to be the largest person I've ever seen," Zack asked. 

"He's an old friend from way back. He works at Hogwarts as the grounds keeper and Care of Magical Creatures instructor. There is entirely too much history to sum up right now, but I know it has been over four years since I have seen him. He is half giant/half man, which explains his size, but he's just a big teddy bear when you get to know him." 

Little Arthur began to cry and Elyssia took him inside to lay him down for a nap. Hagrid made a smooth landing and came to a stop about 20 yards away from where they had gathered. He dismounted and took off his goggles and gloves. A huge coat made of a patchwork of animal skins, hung loosely about his frame. An enormous mane of hair and a bush beard both brown streaked with grey, finished the look. 

The family moved over towards but it was Ron that spoke first. "Hagrid, it is so good to see you - what brings you to the Burrow?" 

"Good ter see yer Ron, yer lookin' good," Hagrid said, enveloping Ron's hand in his own. "It looks like the whole clan is here…did I interrupt somethin'?" 

"It's okay Hagrid, we were just having a family reunion," Arthur said. 

"Would you like something to eat….we have plenty of food," Molly offered. 

"I really shouldn't," he said looking over at the table. "But a little snack couldn't hurt, aye?" 

Bill Weasley laughed and clapped Hagrid on the back. "Good ole Hagrid, it is great to see you. I think I could pack in a little more myself. After all, you shouldn't eat by yourself." 

The group walked over to the table, all talking at once. Hagrid walked over to the venison and casually ripped off one of the hind legs. _A snack?_ Apparently Hagrid was acquainted with the whole Weasley family in one way or another. 

Zack was content to watch the proceedings, but he seemed to be the only one who was wondering why Hagrid was here. 

"Hey Hagrid, I thought you'd like to know that Norbert is going to be a daddy. His mate laid over a dozen eggs just last week," Charlie said 

Hagrid looked like a proud daddy himself at hearing the news. "Well, what do ya know…good ole Norbert. I knew he was a good dragon as soon as he hatched." Then a look of sadness passed over his face. "I do appreciate you watchin' out fer 'im." 

Arthur spoke up. "It really was for the best Hagrid; we couldn't very well have had a full grown Norwegian ridge back stomping around Hogwarts." 

"I s'pose so." He drained his cup of punch and took another bite of the venison. His gaze fell on Zack and his eyes opened wide. "I swear my dad musta dropped me on my head as a child one too many times. You must be Zack Flood. Yer the reason I came today." He reached into his coat and pulled out a letter. "Would'ya mind passin' this down to Zack?" He asked Fred who was sitting next to him. They passed it around the table (all taking a look at it first) and eventually to Zack. 

It looked like the envelope Zack received admitting him into Hogwarts, except the address was quite different. 

~~~00~~~ 

_ Zack Flood_

Picnic Table under the tree, seat on the end closest to the house

The Burrow 

~~~00~~~

_Weird._ He opened it and read the contents. The letter was from Dumbledore asking Zack to accompany Hagrid back to Hogwarts now rather than taking the train on September 1st. He explained that given Zack's unique status it would be best for him to arrive early so they could decide how best to handle his accommodations. It seemed perfectly reasonable and sensible; still, Zack felt nervous. 

"What does it say dear?" Molly asked. 

"It's from Dumbledore. He wants me to go to Hogwarts with Hagrid today rather than going on the 1st on the train." _I am so not ready._

"Does it say why?" Bill asked, while finishing off his third bowl of trifle. 

"Not really, he just mentions my _unique status_ and alludes to my accommodations." 

"Albus was always sensible when setting aside school rules for the sake of common sense," Arthur said. 

"It makes sense, if you think about it. You are almost 40 years old, after all. Can't have you scaring the little kiddies," Ginny commented. 

"Hey, thanks for the support…and I'm only 32," Zack protested. The Weasleys all started to laugh and soon Zack cracked a smile. _I am so doomed._

"Hey Hagrid, when you do you think we should leave?" 

Hagrid finished the wedge of double Gloucester cheese he'd been working on and mumbled. "As soon as you ken…the trip's better in daylight." 

Resigned to his fate, Zack said, "All right, I guess I'll go and pack, then." He headed up stairs to pack his freshly laundered clothes away. Somehow Molly had managed to wash all of his dirty clothes, prepare the gargantuan feast for the family reunion, and take care of all of the family's needs. Even his recently soiled clothes were clean. He finished in a matter of minutes, because he didn't really have much stuff. He was extra careful with his wand and the carrying case, wrapping it in two t-shirts for protection. He'd wait until the last minute to pack up Russell; she hated being crated up. He took a last look around and a soft tap sounded on the door. 

Ginny poked her head in and leered at him. "It's time for your going away present." She slid off her panties from under her skirt and tossed them at him. 

Zack caught them and shook his head. "Now!? You want to do this with your entire family not fifty yards away…are you crazy?" 

She smiled. "When I know what I want, I get what I want." She sidled up to him and slid her hand up his exposed thigh and over his khaki shorts. "And what I want is you inside me now." She unbuttoned his shorts and slid down the zipper. His cock betrayed him and responded to her actions. _Traitor._ "Men are so easy." She slid his cock out and stroked it slowly. Zack closed his eyes and felt his legs going weak as the excitement increased. He bent down, kissed her roughly, and slid his hands down her back and up under her skirt. He kneaded her buttocks and she nibbled on his right ear lobe. He backed her into a wall, lifted her up, and entered her in one smooth motion. Ginny moaned softly and wrapped her arms around Zack's neck and head. With every thrust the two lovers breathing grew quicker and higher pitched. After a few quick moments, she shuddered, followed swiftly by Zack, and they collapsed on the floor panting heavily. 

Zack buried his head in Ginny's red hair, enjoying the afterglow of sex, reveling in the feel of her soft skin and sweet smell. "Can't you come with me?" he said at last. 

"I thought I just did." 

Zack had to laugh. "What am I going to do with you?" 

"What you just did was fine." Ginny brushed his hair back and slowly extricated herself from his embrace. "Oh Zack, don't give me that puppy dog look. You will love Hogwarts. It is unlike anyplace you've ever been." 

"I'm sure Hogwarts will be great. It's just…I don't know." He got up, put his clothes back on and sat on the bed. Ginny did the same and sat next to him. "Ginny, I'm 32 years old for god's sake, what am I doing? I was a highly successful surgeon, and now I'm going to be starting school all over again. And for what?" 

"Zack, I can only imagine what you are going through. But, don't forget that Dumbledore and Hermione at least will be there for you. And I'll come and visit on occasion as I get some time." 

Zack brightened at her words and released a heavy sigh. She furrowed her brow at him and he smirked. "I can be such prat sometimes." 

She smiled at him. "Don't be so hard on yourself…it will all work out. Besides, it's Professor Snape's job to be hard on you." 

Zack's eyes widened. "Wait a minute, he's the one I think I insulted at the Ministry house." 

"You _think_ you insulted Professor Snape!? Maybe you do have something to worry about. What happened?" 

"I was very drunk, so I don't exactly remember." 

"Maybe you can smooth things out before the term starts. Anyway there's no need to worry about it now. Now, come over here and give me a smooch goodbye." Ginny stood and held her arms out. 

Zack gave her a nice firm hug and tender kiss on the forehead. "I'm going to miss you, you know?" 

"I sure hope so, after all we've done the last four days," she quipped. 

"Aren't you ever serious?" 

"Not if I can help it." She gave him a wink. It only took a few moments and they had all his bags together. Ginny moved them downstairs with the ever helpful locomotor spell, while Zack took a moment to go to the attic. 

"Hey…ghoul, you up here?" Zack asked after opening the door at the top of the attic steps. _I wish the thing had a name._ "It's okay….it's me - the one with the cat." 

The ghoul poked its slimy head around a beam. "You wouldn't have yer cat with you, would you?" 

"No, no he's outside. I thought I'd pop in and let you know the cat and I are leaving today, so the house will be animal free once again." 

The ghoul smiled, displaying several uneven teeth. "Oh, thank you sir. I admit it's a relief to feel safe again." Zack had nothing else to say so he wished the ghoul luck and left. 

Zack bounded down the stairs, and out the front door. His eyes fell on the entire clan, gathered, apparently to give Zack a right proper send off. They all wished him well and he thanked all of them profusely. The twins envied Zack having Hogwarts almost to himself for a whole week. There was a time when they would have paid good money for such a chance. In fact… Bill interrupted them and told Zack he'd be in touch about the symbols on Zack's wand. Charlie and Elyssia wished him well, as a giggling Arthur chewed on Charlie's shirt. Ron said he'd stop by Hogwarts sometime to see how he was settling in and Ginny echoed that thought – but with a sly grin on her face. _Oh my._

Molly was too emotional to say anything so she just hugged him goodbye. Zack assured her they would see each other again soon. 

Zack approached Arthur and shook his hand. "Well, Arthur, I was hoping to take you on a Muggle shopping trip this coming week, but I guess it will have to wait…that is unless I can meet you in London somehow. I could stand to upgrade my wardrobe a bit before term begins." Molly and Ginny both nodded enthusiastically at this declaration. 

Arthur scratched his chin. "I'm sure we could arrange for a meeting sometime this week. How about Wednesday?" Zack nodded in assent. "I will let you know the details. Good luck." 

Finally only a smiling, red-faced Hagrid remained. "So, yer ready to go then?" 

"Yeah, I guess so…where are my bags?" 

"I already packed 'em in my motorcycle." 

"How could they fit…never mind." _Magic, of course._ "How am I going to get there?" 

"I can extend the seat a bit. It'll be a bit tight but we'll manage." Hagrid smiled - all eight plus feet, 600 plus pounds of him. _Not a chance in hell I'm sitting behind that for god knows how long._

Before Zack could protest, Arthur spoke up. "Might I suggest an alternative?" Molly gave Arthur a sideways glance. "Zack, I hope you won't mind but I took it upon myself to fix your motorcycle." 

"My motorcycle! That's great, Arthur. How far a ride is it? Do you have a map?" The prospect of the trip started looking up. 

"Well, you'd never find it on the ground." _On the ground – what does he mean by that?_? "That is to say, there are no proper roads leading to Hogwarts." 

"How can I get there, then?" Sweat began to form on Zack's brow. 

"I made a few modifications to your motorcycle." 

"Arthur Weasley, you didn't! Not again." Molly's face turned a deep shade of red. 

"I did it for Zack, dear. One never knows when something like this will come in handy." Molly wasn't buying it, but everyone else was excited. Ron offered to go and fetch it, Arthur whispered something to him, and off he went to the shed. A few minutes later Ron returned pushing Zack's bike, which looked almost as good as new. Arthur beamed as his family, except a brooding Molly, fawned over the restored bike. 

"It looks great Arthur, but I can't see any of difference from when I last rode it." _Meaning, I probably should be worried._

Arthur signaled Zack to come closer. "You see these three buttons I added next to the right handle?" Zack nodded. "The red one will enable you to fly, the green one will cause the bike to operate like a normal motorcycle, and the blue one will make you and the bike invisible." Arthur smiled. 

Zack stood open-mouthed, his mind seemingly unable to grasp what he had heard. "The red one…the red one…the red one…fly?" _If a broomstick with seat belts almost killed me, what will a flying motorcycle do?_

After much cajoling, the family was able to convince Zack this was quite different than the broomstick. For one thing the accelerator, brakes, and steering operated in the air as they did on the ground. The kids drew straws and Ron won the right to test drive the motorcycle. Zack had to admit it looked a good deal safer than the broom. Plus, this was his motorcycle. Hagrid would be along side if anything bad happened. 

He decided it was time. Bidding everyone a final goodbye he shoved a yowling Russell into her crate and strapped it onto the back of his bike. He took a final look around and started up the bike. He revved it, his chest tightened, and he relived the accident all over again. He stopped the bike and sat there motionless for a moment, 

Arthur called out to him. "Everything okay, Zack?" 

Zack took several deep breaths in through his nose and out through his mouth. _Calm down._ His heart beat returned to normal and he shouted back to the family. "I'm fine - just getting used to riding again." He restarted the bike and rode it around on the ground for a minute or two until the jitters went away. Hagrid had already gone airborne and was signaling Zack to join him. He took a deep breath, let it slowly and pressed the red button. The bike started to rise and his stomach gave a lurch, but he kept it under control. He steered it cautiously over the Burrow and carefully waved good bye. _So long…for now._

After the initial fear and excitement wore off, the ride was fairly routine. Although, the invisibility took some getting used to. The non-stop banter by Hagrid made the trip seem to last forever, but at least it let Zack know that Hagrid was nearby. Clearly, he was a nice guy, but Zack couldn't understand most of the references he made. Every time Zack interrupted with a question Hagrid lost his place and started the whole story over again. After awhile Zack started to make sense of a few of the references and it became clear that Hagrid had no fear. He described fearsome beasts as if they were pets to be coddled. Of course, given Hagrid's size most beasts would be (practically) harmless. The hours whittled away and the sun sank lower and lower in the sky. Hagrid indicated they were getting close, so he made himself visible and Zack followed suit. Soon after, Hagrid pointed a finger and Zack saw a large complex in the distance. As they drew nearer he saw it was an immense castle surrounded by a thick forest on one side and a large lake on the other. Reading, _Hogwarts: A History_, didn't prepare him for how impressive the complex looked. 

"Welcome to yer new home. How d'ya like it?" Hagrid asked beaming. 

Zack smiled at Hagrid and looked again at the castle. _Maybe I'm not doomed afterall._

~~~00~~~ 

_As ever, my boundless gratitude to Juliane and Lillith for editing my story _

Please review! Thank you. 


	8. Chapter 8 Hogwarts my home?

Chapter 8

Hagrid directed his bike toward a large patch of grass near what looked like an entrance

into a giant turret.  In the fading light Zack thought he saw a lone figure with long, white

hair – _Dumbledore most likely.  Zack's stomach did a somersault as the realization hit that _

landing, on the hard ground, was a necessary part of flying.  _Damn that Isaac Newton!  _

He watched intently as Hagrid took his bike straight in for a landing, pulling the front 

wheel up slightly so the rear wheel touched first.  Zack tried to relax but was failing 

miserably.  

A voice spoke into his right ear.  "It will be okay, Zack. Just loosen your grip on the 

handlebars and point the bike slightly downward."

Zack lurched the bike to the left and barely avoided falling off.  "What the hell was that?"  

He looked around but could see no one.  Russell squawked loudly from the cat carrier.  

"I'm sorry, girl."

"Zack, it's Albus Dumbledore.  Do not fear. I am simply projecting my voice to assist in 

your landing."

"You could have warned me or something," Zack grumbled.  He reluctantly loosened his 

grip, took a deep breath, and pushed gently down on the handlebars.  The bike began to 

descend at breakneck pace.

"At that rate, you will not land until the morning," Albus criticized.  "Try pushing down 

with a little more force. There is no need to worry. I will not allow you to harm 

yourself…at least not today."  

"Oh, funny."  Chagrined, Zack pushed down harder on the handlebars and increased his 

descent.  He was headed right for Dumbledore, so he steered a little to the left of the old 

wizard.  The ground grew closer and closer, rushing up at him and looking very, very 

solid.  Extremely solid in fact.  Right before landing he remembered to pull up on the 

handlebars, but in his fear pulled too hard and the bike began to ascend again.  Zack 

lurched in his seat and almost went head over heels over the handlebars as the bike 

suddenly stopped.  A moment later the bike was on the ground, Hagrid having grabbed it, 

and Zack and Russell were safe.  Zack was more than a little impressed.

"Thanks, Hagrid," Zack said sheepishly.

"Yer welcome.  It was a pleasure ridin' with ya.  But, I need to get to me hut and feed 

Fearless her dinner.  Come by the hut when you get a chance."

"I'll take you up on that, and thanks again."   

Hagrid waved as he walked off away from the castle, pushing his motorcycle ahead of 

him.  Zack saw that all his bags were stacked near the landing leading to an impressive 

(and massive) entrance. Zack turned to look at Albus Dumbledore.  He couldn't help but 

be a little disappointed that Hermione wasn't there to greet him. 

"Perhaps you noticed that Professor Granger is not here," Albus said.  _I bet he's a mind _

_reader__.  Albus winked at him and continued on.  "She is on an expedition to retrieve _

some octopus tree bark for a special potion she is brewing."  Just then, the door to the 

school opened and very hard-looking, older man came out.  "Zack, this is Argus Filch, the 

caretaker at Hogwarts.  Argus, this is Zack Flood."  _Filch, that's a fitting name_, Zack 

decided.

"It's nice to meet you," Zack said, extending his hand.

"I don't care how old ye are, if you step one toe outta line I promise you'll get detention."  

Filch's eyebrows had practically disappeared into the age lines on his forehead as he 

stared at Zack's extended hand.  "And stay outta the forest," he added disapprovingly.

"It's off-limits." 

_Charming_.  "Er…well… yeah, okay," Zack replied lamely, dropping his hand and looking 

askance at Dumbledore, who just continued to smile.  A loud meow interrupted the 

proceedings.  "Do you mind if I let Russell out of her crate? It was a very long trip."

"Of course, there are several cats around Hogwarts during the school year."  Dumbledore 

looked concernedly at Filch, who'd reacted strangely to the word _cat_.

"I'll be going then, Headmaster."  Filch looked angrily at Zack and limped quickly back 

inside.

"What was that all about?"  Zack asked, approaching the crate and opening its door.  

Russell slowly stuck her head out and sniffed the air.  She looked around and then 

jumped down onto the thick green grass.

"I'm afraid Argus lost his cat last year. He is still grieving."

Russell sniffed the grass for a moment, walked up the front door, sat down, and meowed 

loudly at the two men.

"Why, indeed," Albus answered.  

_Does he speak cat? _

The door opened again. This time three house-elves scurried out, grabbing Zack's bags 

and quickly retreating inside.  Another elf pushed his bike into the darkness away from 

the castle.  Russell watched the goings on with curiosity.  

"Hey, where are you going with my bike?" Zack called out.

"There is an enclosure where we will keep your bike while you are here.  I'll show you 

where it is tomorrow," Albus promised.  "Now let us get inside out of the damp night air.  

I will show you to your room."

Russell meowed again.

Albus addressed the feline directly.  "Quite right, I will show you to the kitchens on our 

way to the room."  

"Wait a minute, you really do speak cat?" 

"Not precisely, but a close acquaintance has provided me with unique insight over the 

years."  His eyes twinkled with mirth.  

_Must be an inside joke._  Zack yawned so hard he had to stop walking.  "I'm sorry about 

that. I guess I'm a little tired."

"No need to apologize. I, for one, appreciate a good yawn."  Dumbledore suddenly 

yawned so mightily himself he almost fell over.  "You see…wasn't that wonderful?"   

"Uh, yeah…that was quite a yawn all right," Zack agreed.

"Would you care for a bite to eat before you go to your room?"  Albus asked, as they 

stepped inside the giant doors.  Zack was amazed by the immensity of the structure.  A 

fifteen-yard wide staircase stood directly ahead of them, leading to a massive wall where 

two suits of armor stood poised.  Paintings of widely varying sizes and subjects covered 

the walls.  Most were portraits and most were snoring.   

"Halt!   Who goes there?" a voice challenged from Zack's right.

Zack looked around and saw an armor-clad knight shaking his fist from a portrait on the 

wall.  Zack pointed at himself, incredulously.

"Yes, you, ye scurvy dog.  I'll run ye through with me trusty lance, if ye take another step."

Dumbledore stepped in front of Zack.  "It's quite all right Sir Cadogan. He is one of the 

new first years."  

"He's certainly the biggest firs'-year I've ever seen.  Ye sure he didn't trick ye?"

"Quite sure," Dumbledore replied, giving Zack a sidelong glance over his glasses.

"On yer way then," he said gruffly, turning and tripping over a tree root.  "I meant to do that."  

Zack raised an eyebrow and turned toward Dumbledore, who had started walking again.

"Pardon me," Zack yawned again and stretched his arms.  

"I think bed would be best then," Dumbledore advised.  "Just a moment."  As Russell 

caught up to him, Dumbledore bent down, whispered something, and pointed down a 

long hallway. Russell went like a flash.  "She's off to the kitchens for some dinner.  Now, 

let us proceed to your quarters."

Zack mentally scratched his head and followed the old wizard.  With each step his energy 

decreased until by the time they got to his room, he could barely keep his eyes open.  He 

hardly noticed the almost-beheaded ghost that greeted him, a poltergeist trying to hit him 

with a vase (Dumbledore spelled it away with a flick of his wand), an empty suit of armor 

doing cartwheels, and an open door leading to a room full of oddly colored socks.

"Your bags have already been brought up and unpacked.  If you need anything – well – 

wait until morning, as we are short staffed at the moment.  The full staff does not report 

until Thursday, you understand."  He looked at Zack over his glasses.  "I will send a 

house-elf around in the morning to check on you.  Good night and once again, welcome 

to Hogwarts."

"Thanks," Zack mumbled and looked around blearily for the bed.  It was a beautiful grey 

and red four-poster, but Zack didn't care about that – it had a mattress and pillows.  He 

was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

***********

Cotton mouth.   He definitely needed some water and a toothbrush.  _Yeccchhh_.  "Where am I?"

"Hogwarts, sir…in the guest quarters."  A high pitched-voice said from somewhere.

Zack squeezed his eyes hard and rubbed them with his hand to get them moistened.  He 

sat up and spied a house-elf wearing a bright orange poncho standing a few feet from his 

bed starting at him with eager eyes.  Zack cleared his throat as best he could.

"Thanks.  May I have some water please?  My throat is a little dry."

"Of course, sir!  Right away, sir!  I apologize most profusely for not having it at your 

bedside table.  BAD SCOOBY!" The house-elf chastised himself and proceeded to ram 

his head into the nearest wall.

"Stop that!" Zack said in a panicked voice.  "What the hell are you doing?"

"I must punish myself for ill-serving you," the now woozy house-elf said.

"Well, don't do that."  _At least not first thing in the morning_.  Zack stretched and got out 

of bed.  He realized he was still in the clothes he wore yesterday.

The house-elf scratched his head.  "It is my first week at Hogwarts, sir.  The last of the 

family I served died suddenly, leaving me with no place to go.  Headmaster Dumbledore 

most graciously agreed to take me on.  I…am not sure of the rules here. I once again 

apologize for making you angry."

"I'll get angry if you pound your head against any more walls."  Zack looked over the 

nicely appointed room.  It had three four-poster beds and was clearly meant for multiple 

people.  He saw the water jug and glass on a table not 15 feet from the bed.  He walked 

over and chugged down three glasses in quick succession.  "That's much better."  Zack 

decided to ignore the look of disappointment on Scooby's face.  "Now, if you would be 

so kind as to show me to the lavatory."  Scooby, pleased to have a task, led Zack to a 

large oak door in the foyer.  He noticed to his right the double doors he assumed to be the 

entrance doors. 

"Would you be needing anything else?"

Zack paused at the slightly open door.  "I wouldn't say no to some breakfast."   

"Breakfast is served in the Great Hall, sir.  If you like I would be most glad to escort you 

there."  Scooby's eager eyes were trained on Zack.

Nervous about the adoration in the house-elf's eyes, Zack gently refused the offer.  "Nah, 

that's okay. I'd like to explore a bit on the way there.  But if you could find my cat, I 

would be most appreciative. That is, if it wouldn't be taking you away from your other 

duties."    

"I would be honored to find your cat, sir."  And before Zack could describe Russell, 

Scooby was out of the door like a shot.

Zack shook his head, yawned, and entered the bath.  It was ancient in appearance but 

appeared to have most of the modern necessities.  The floor was stone but felt warm.  

_Nice_.  There were two showers and a separate claw foot tub.  He noticed his toiletries had 

already been stored on some shelves next to dual copper sinks.  The mirror was enormous 

and irregularly shaped although generally square.  He looked at himself for a moment and 

had to admit that he'd looked better…and, after doing a test sniff of his under arm, 

smelled better for that matter.  He showered quickly, eager to start exploring.  He found 

that his boxers, jean shorts, t-shirt, and socks had all been neatly pressed.  _Thanks, _

_Scooby_.

He opened the enormous doors and peered out into a short hallway that looked to merge 

with a larger one.  He closed the door behind him and started to set off.  _Idiot!   He turned _

and looked for a room number or something but saw no distinguishing marks.  

"How am I supposed to find my way back here…breadcrumbs?"

"Not a good idea in this place, I'm afraid," an elderly gentleman said from a portrait just 

ahead to his right.  "Peeves will see right through that and will steer you into…some not 

very nice places."

"Peeves?" Zack asked.

"He is the resident poltergeist and a damned nuisance."

Zack stared at the talking painting, unsure as to how to proceed.  "I'm Zack Flood, a new 

student here at Hogwarts.  With what…er…whom do I have the pleasure of conversing?"

"A new student?  At your age?  I think not."  The man in the portrait fluffed up the ruffles 

around his neck and looked disapprovingly at Zack.

Zack did his best to ignore the snub.  "Well, it's a long story, and I'm hungry, so I'll be 

heading off to the main hall.  You wouldn't happen to know how to get there?" 

"Of course not.  I am a painting.  New student indeed."  The man sniffed and walked out 

of the picture.  

_Just wonderful_.  Undaunted, Zack set off.  If he remembered the details from _Hogwarts: _

_A History_, the guest quarters were located generally to the right from the Great Hall, so he 

turned to the left.  He knew the Great Hall was near the main entrance where he came in 

last night, but last night was such a blur he couldn't remember how to get there.  He 

passed through hallways littered with sculptures, suits of armor, antique tables, tapestries, 

paintings, and many things Zack could not begin to identify.  Out of curiosity he tried 

several of the doors he passed, but all were locked.  While the portraits were polite, none 

of them could help him find his way to the Great Hall.  His mood was quickly turning 

from curious to irritated.  He eventually came to a set of stairs that led down.  He 

remembered reading that the potions classroom was downstairs – and not far from a 

stairway that led to the Great Hall - so decided to take a look.  _Maybe Hermione's back?  _

The air became progressively damp and stale as he descended.  Acrid smells floated to his 

nostrils and he could swear he smelled formaldehyde, monkshood, and possibly blood.  

_Well, there goes my appetite._  At the bottom of the stair was a wide corridor lit on both 

sides by torches every 15 paces or so.  He thought he could hear a crackling fire and some 

kind of bubbling down a hallway to his left.  The hallway led him into a large classroom, 

which contained 20 or so desks, with metal stands at each one.  All of the desks had deep 

scratches, burn marks, and other scars.  _I think this must be the place.  _

After looking around a bit more he decided the place was damn gloomy_._  The bubbling 

noise was louder from behind the podium and Zack noticed a door behind it that was 

slightly ajar.  He opened it slowly and poked his head in but couldn't see around the short 

hallway.  Stepping carefully, he peered around the corner.  _I wouldn't want to startle her _

_around__ an open flame. _

It was not Hermione.  Zack saw a tall black-haired man dressed all in black, paging 

appreciatively through a magazine, standing behind a large steaming cauldron.  It was 

Zack's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Snape.  Remembering that the 

professor was the author of the new potions textbook, he guessed that the professor was 

covering for Hermione in her absence.  More interestingly, Zack noticed that the 

magazine he was ogling was _Wizarding Vogue.  I wonder what Ginny will think about _

_that__?  Zack snapped his head back around the corner but feared it was too late.  _

"Who's there?"  Professor Snape snapped, throwing down the magazine.  

Zack heard him moving and decided it was best to run.  _He who fights and runs away…_  

He ran through the open door into the classroom and slammed it behind him.  Ignoring 

the professor's shouts to stop, and without a glance behind, Zack ran through the open 

door leading to the hallway, slamming it as well.  A set of stairs to his right beckoned him 

and Zack didn't stop until he reached a landing several floors up.  _Maybe he didn't _

_recognize__ me.  He stopped for a moment to catch his breath and listen for signs of _

possible pursuit.  All was quiet, so it appeared he had escaped.  His stomach made an 

audible grumble and he cursed himself a fool for not letting the house-elf guide him to the 

Great Hall.  Out of the corner of his eye he saw a blur of grey and Russell came up to 

him, affectionately rubbing the expanse of her body against his leg.  

"_Mrow," she chirped._

"Why yes, I am hungry, so nice of you to inquire.  I see you've had no problem 

acclimating to your new surroundings.  You wouldn't happen to know where the Great 

Hall is, by chance?"  Russell looked up at him and then proceeded to vigorously clean her 

shoulder.

"Thanks."  He was beginning to think his idea of exploring before breakfast was not one 

of his better choices.

"Ah, young Mr. Flood. Did I hear you inquire as to the whereabouts of the Great Hall?" a 

noble sounding voice said behind him.

Zack came face to torso with his first ghost.  "Uhhh…I…uhhh…y…y..yeess."

"Are you unwell?  You look as if you've seen a ghost?"  Then the ghost started to laugh, 

and Zack's face turned a light shade of red.  "I most humbly apologize but it has been 

ages since I was able to say that."  The ghost bowed and said, "I am Sir Nicholas de 

Mimsy Porpington. We met briefly yesterday evening, although it seems clear you do not 

remember our encounter.  Hello, Russell. I trust you are well?"  

Zack was still trying to digest a ghost with a bad sense of humor who knew his cat, and so 

didn't really register what the ghost had said.  "Sir Mimsy de whatington?"  

"Sir Nicholas is just fine," the ghost replied. "Before we were sidetracked, I recall you 

needing to find your way to the Great Hall."  

Lost in thought, Zack didn't really register what was said.  "The Great Hall?  Oh yes, I 

understand that is where breakfast is served, but I can't find it."

"It would be my pleasure to escort you there.  By the way, you were looking a bit peaked 

when I first saw you. Are you feeling ill?"

"No, not ill.  I was wandering around and…got lost," Zack ended lamely. "It doesn't 

matter. I'm really hungry. Let's go."  

Sir Nicholas escorted Zack down a corridor and as they followed a bend to the right, the 

ghost told Zack many minute facts about each object they crossed.  He pointed to a young 

woman dressed all in turquoise who inhabited a portrait of a castle.  Russell, irritated with 

the slow pace, trotted up ahead and out of sight.

"That is Esmeralda Gaffington, a royal ward who was later executed for lying with the 

wife of the minister of magic."  _Oh, really?  "If you look closely, you'll see a set of _

golden hoops that were apparently a gift from her lover.  It's too bad she decided not to 

become a ghost. I think her story is quite fascinating."

Before Zack could remark on Sir Nicholas's strange comment, the corridor ended and 

they were at the top of an impressive marble staircase leading down to a set of immense 

oak doors.  

"Those look familiar; aren't those the main entrance doors?" Zack asked.

"Yes they are."  Sir Nicholas turned to look at a large grandfather clock shaped like a 

manticore (if Zack's _Dungeons and Dragons experience was still accurate).  "If you will _

excuse me, I am late for a planning session."  

"Planning session?" Zack asked wondering what a ghost needed to plan for.

"Yes, there are many ghosts in Hogwarts and we must coordinate our entrances and exits 

so we are not all cluttering up the Great Hall during the beginning of Year Feast.  And 

there is Peeves to consider," he ended with a look of disapproval.  Just then the clock 

struck 10 AM.  "I really must beg off. The Great Hall is to the left at the bottom of the 

stairs.  Enjoy!"  

"Thank you," Zack shouted after Sir Nicholas and then walked down the stairs and 

entered the Great Hall at last.  The hall was immense, with four long rows of tables, 

enormous banks of windows, unlit torches, and as _Hogwarts: A History reported, a _

ceiling bewitched to look like the sky.  If the ceiling was right, it must be overcast 

outside.  At the far end of the room was a set of tables on a raised dais, perpendicular to 

the tables on the main floor.  He could see a group of several people standing around a 

table on the raised platform.  Even at the far end of the room he couldn't mistake 

Dumbledore and Hagrid, but the others were unfamiliar.  As Zack approached the table, 

Dumbledore turned to him and waved him forward in invitation.  The other people all 

turned in Zack's direction and watched his approach.  He became a tad self conscious of 

his informal dress.  _At least my underwear is pressed._

Dumbledore stood and greeted Zack as he approached.  "Zack, I was wondering when 

you would show up.  I almost sent out a search party."  A few of the people smiled, but 

they all appeared to take the comment seriously.  

Zack grinned nervously and seeing the stairs more than a few feet away, jumped up onto 

the dais.  He noticed surprised glances from the attendees, of particular note he saw a 

striking woman with grey-streaked black hair in a very large green hat, looking over her 

rectangular glasses with obvious disapproval.

"Zack, I am glad you arrived before we adjourned.  If you will permit me, I would like to 

introduce you to some of the fine teachers here at Hogwarts. Then we will see that you 

get some breakfast.  Of course, you remember Hagrid."  The huge, bushy man gave Zack 

a wave.  "The attractive woman at the far end of the table in the green hat is Professor 

Minerva McGonagall; she will be teaching you transfiguration."  It was the woman that 

had disapproved of his jumping up onto the dais.  She nodded curtly at him.  "To her right 

is Professor Flitwick, who will be your charms professor."  Flitwick was a little person, 

with white hair and beard and a happy expression on his face.  He nodded his head in 

greeting.  "To his right is Poppy Pomfrey, our school physician. I hope you and Poppy 

will become better acquainted, given your shared profession."  

"Shared profession, pah!  Butchery is more like it," the grey-haired, stern looking woman 

exclaimed, looking at him with an expression just short of disdain.  "Although, I am 

interested in discussing how you cured your niece."

Zack hoped Poppy was in a bad mood, because if he had to deal with her condescension 

on a continuing basis he wasn't sure how long he could keep quiet.  But he managed to 

gather himself, nodded politely and said, "I would be most interested in hearing your 

expertise on the matter."
    
    "To your immediate right is Professor Vector who teaches Arithmancy," Dumbledore 
    
    continued quickly, "which is a course for second years and above, I'm afraid."  The 
    
    professor shook Zack's hand.

"And last, but not least, is a new teacher this term for a brand new class - International 

Magic Studies - Vala Tillinghast."  

Vala was a stunning woman with a palpable Scandinavian appearance.  _She looks like the _

_lead__ singer for ABBA; t_he boys will be lining up to take her class._ She gave him a wide _

smile – of course, her teeth were white and perfect.  "It is nice to make your acquaintance, 

Mr. Flood.  Your story is fascinating.  I made some inquiries and no one can recall any 

case similar to yours." 

"I'd be happy to discuss it with you sometime.  At least, what I can remember about it," 

Zack said and shook her hand.  He felt an odd sensation at her touch, but wrote it off as 

unimportant.   The teachers all looked ready to go, so Zack bid them farewell.  "It's a 

pleasure to meet all of you, and I look forward to learning anything you can teach me."    

As Albus turned to him, the other professors all took this as their cue to leave.  "Zack, I 

want you to know that my office is always open to you, day or night, should you need 

anything.  Now have a seat, and I'll get you some breakfast."  Dumbledore spread open 

his arms and all sorts of food filled his plate and the rest of the table.  "I would love to 

stay and chat, but there is a great deal to be done before the students arrive next week.  

Enjoy."  

"If yeh don' mind some company, I could stand a bit more breakfast," Hagrid offered, 

eyeing the now full table.

"Not at all, it would be nice to have some company.  I often ate alone because of my odd 

hours as a surgeon."  Then, before Zack knew it, they had eaten their way through a pile 

of eggs, a stack of pancakes, a bunch of bangers, and a great deal of other delicious food.   

In between bites, Zack tried to educate Hagrid as to what a surgeon did, with a modicum 

of success.  Hagrid turned out to be decent company, once Zack got used to his somewhat 

gruff manner.  Hagrid told Zack about his many years at Hogwarts and how he'd been 

expelled in a case of mistaken identity.

"I don't hold no grudges though.  It all turned out fer the best."

"I'm glad to hear that you're happy with the way things came out for you.  I'm not sure 

I'd be as generous."

Hagrid shrugged his massive shoulders in reply.  "Say, how'd ya like to have a tour of the 

grounds?"  But no sooner had Hagrid made his offer than a crack of thunder interrupted 

them.

"Maybe tomorrow, when the weathers clears up a bit.  Besides, I should probably do 

some reading.  You wouldn't happen to know the way to the library, would you?"  

Hagrid chuckled.  "Yeh sound like Hermione; she loves that place."  Zack smiled.  After 

thinking on it for a minute, Hagrid provided Zack the directions.  "Don't ferget, the 

staircases change so if yeh get lost, just call out fer a house-elf."

"That's all right.  I figure if I get lost enough times, pretty soon the place will start to make sense."

Hagrid laughed and patted Zack on the back.  "I'll be seein' ya then."

_Ouch.  Zack waved weakly still trying to get his breath back. He stood up and stretched, _

and feeling quite full from the huge breakfast, started off for the library at an easy pace.  

The main set of staircases was inside a tower that must have been several hundred yards 

high.  However, something was amiss…none of them were moving.  _I wonder if they're _

_broken__. The silence was complete; the only sound being the echoes of his footsteps _

resounding eerily up the walls of the tower.   Even though there was no definitive map of 

Hogwarts, Gryffindor house should be up and to the left, Ravenclaw up and to the right, 

and both Hufflepuff and Slytherin downstairs.  While climbing the stairs he made a 

mental note to amble up and see the Ravenclaw dormitories as he thought he might be 

sorted into that house.  No sooner had he climbed a few stairs he heard a click, followed 

by a groan.  He looked up and saw that a couple of the staircases had started moving.  

_Finally awake, I see.  Feeling pretty good about life in general, Zack increased his pace _

but his left foot sunk up to his knee in one of the stairs, and he almost wrenched his knee.

"What the hell?" he said, trying vainly to pull his leg out.  "All right, this is very funny – 

ha ha – but it's time to let me go."  Nothing happened; his foot was anchored.  He waited 

for a few moments, hoping if he stopped pulling it would let go…but no such luck.  

"Can anyone hear me?" he said in a loud voice, but no one answered.  So he called 

louder, this time using the names of the people he knew at Hogwarts. No one answered, 

not even Scooby.  _So much for calling a House-Elf when one's in need._

"Russell!" he yelled, his voice growing hoarse from shouting.  "Where is a damn cat 

when you need one?" Zack finished in frustration.

"I have seen no cats about.  But if I do, I will be sure to let you know."

Zack turned to look behind him and saw a pale figure all in black, smirking at him.  _It's _

_official. I'm doomed._

"Well, well.  What do we have here?"  Professor Snape purred.

"I somehow managed to get trapped by a rogue stair," Zack said, trying to make light of 

the situation.

"So you have.  At least this way you won't be spying on anyone else…will you?"  _Snape _

_was enjoying this far too much._

"I…I don't know what you're talking about."  _Shit._

"Don't you?"   

Zack forced a laugh to which the professor curled his lips in a kind of smile.  "Would you 

mind…," Zack implored looking down at his trapped foot.  

Snape smiled -- and Zack knew he would mind.  Snape looked at his pocket watch.  "I 

have to be going now.  Good luck."  He walked right past Zack going down the stairs. 

Zack had had enough.  "Wait a minute!  Aren't you going to free me?"  

"It only takes a simple counter-curse to free yourself."  He stroked his chin with his hand.  

"Consider this a pre-term test for your Defense Against the Dark Arts class."

"Can't you at least get someone else to come and help me?"  THAT was a mistake.

Snape's face unexpectedly lit up and he smiled.  Zack decided he preferred the grimace.  

"I will call on someone to keep you company.  Oh, Peeves. I have someone here that 

needs your help," he called loudly upward, so that it echoed up the entire length of the 

tower.  Then turning back to Zack he gave a curt, "Have a nice day," and turned the 

corner at the top of the landing and was gone.

Zack could have sworn he heard the _Jaws music in his head as he saw a figure swooping _

down from the very top of the tower.  He could hear mumbling, as if the…person…was 

talking to himself, but Zack couldn't understand it.  As it drew nearer, he could see the 

ghost was dressed in very loud colors, complete with an orange bow tie.  As it drew 

nearer he could make out the words he was saying.  

"Was someone calling Peevesy weevesey…?"

_Great, now I have to put up with bad rhyming…as if being stuck in a stair wasn't bad enough.  _

Peeves gaze settled on Zack.  "Lookie, lookie do we have an ickle firstie caught in a stair?  

No…it can't be.  Term starts next week.  We loves the start of term, the ickle firsties are 

so easy to tease."

"Hello, my name is Zack Flood, but you can call me Zack.  And you must be the Peeves 

I've heard so much about."  _Courtesy couldn't hurt._

"Are you speakin' to me?" Peeves asked incredulously.

"Of course.  And might I say that is one lovely bow tie you have there."  _Okay, maybe _

_that__ was laying it on a bit thick.  But maybe it was working, because Peeves clearly _

looked confused.

"Uhh, my name is Peeves, …Peeves, the poltergeist.  I've been haunting Hogwarts for 

over 100 years."

"100 years? That's very impressive," Zack said, desperately trying to free his leg.

Zack's response must have signaled to Peeves that it was okay to talk.  And talk the ghost 

did, at length, about how he became a poltergeist, how someone named the Bloody Baron 

apparently cursed him when Peeves caused him to lose a bet, and how that even now that 

the Baron was a ghost at Hogwarts too, and Peeves was still frightened of him, Peeves 

didn't want to leave his home.  Then Peeves proceeded to list dozens of food items he 

missed from his living days.

"…and there's pickled herring, pickled mushrooms, pickled banana…"

_Yecchh__._  Zack knew he had to interrupt as his leg had started to go numb.  "Pardon me, 

Mr. Peeves, I hate to interrupt, but I really could use some help to free myself from this 

stair."

"MISTER PEEVES!  He called me Mister Peeves!  I'm Mister Peeeeves…I'm Mister 

Peeeeves…  What a jolly day it is…for I am Mr. Peeeeves."

Zack lowered his face into his hands.  

"I will help you I will…Zack Flood.  MISTER Peeves will bring help for you!  Wheee!"  

Peeves soared up and up until Zack could see him no more.  _Alone again, naturally.  _

Forty-five minutes went by without anyone coming to help him.  He tried talking to the 

stairs, to no avail.  He took a deep breath and let it out explosively.  He listened to the 

sound echo up the tower and could have sworn he heard a voice.  He strained his ears, 

hoping he hadn't imagined it.  A moment later he heard it again…and this time he 

thought he heard his name.

"In here!" he shouted.  

A rush of footsteps and then, "Zack…are you in here?"

It was a voice that Zack would have been glad to hear under any circumstances, but now 

he was ecstatic.  "Ginny?  Is that you?  Please let it be you."   

He heard footsteps on the stairs below him and he turned to see Ginny jogging up the 

stairs dressed in a quite fetching black cloak.

"You're out of my sight for less than a day and look at you," Ginny said, starting to laugh.

"Hey, this isn't funny.  I think my leg has lost all circulation."  More laughter.  "I might get gangrene."  

"Zack…please stop…my sides are starting to hurt," Ginny said in between laughs.  

He stared at her, a none-too-pleased look on his face.  "Would you mind?"

"We could have some fun first," she said, licking her lips and raising an eyebrow.

"I hate to break it to you, but I've been stuck like this for almost two hours."

"So?"

Zack took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.  "My legs are numb…all three of them," 

he said, giving her a meaningful look.  

"Okay, now I see."  She took out her wand.  "_Libero."_

Zack felt the stair loosen its grip and, with Ginny's help, he pulled free.  His leg wouldn't 

support his weight, yet, so he sat down and began to rub it.

"Here, let me help," Ginny offered and began kneading his calf, shin, and thigh.

Zack felt the blood returning and with it the "needles."  

"Zack, are you okay?" Ginny asked, noticing his discomfort.   

"I'm fine, it's the needles.  What brings you here, anyway?"  She gave him a cool look.  

"Don't get me wrong. I'm thrilled to see you…just curious."

"To see you, of course.  And to make sure you hadn't been beaten to death by a tree or anything."  

"Your confidence in me is underwhelming," Zack responded, disappointed.

"This from a man caught in a stair for two hours."

Zack saw the look on her face and had to smile, which quickly became a laugh.  "Ginny, I 

am glad to see you."  Zack flexed his leg, and pulled himself to his feet with the help of 

the railing.  "I think I can walk now."  

"I'm guessing you are staying in the guest quarters?" Ginny asked, leading Zack down the stairs.  

"Yes I am…not that I have a clue as to how to get back there."

"With every word you utter, my confidence in you grows," Ginny said loftily.

"You're asking for it."

"Am I?"

"And I'm just the person to give it you."  She flashed him what she was wearing under

her robes, and it wasn't much.  "You are a naughty girl, and I think you need a good spanking."

"Why good sir, such talk in a house of learning."

The banter continued as they made their way to his room.  He was fully erect by the time 

they neared his room…but something was wrong.  Odd noises were coming from his 

room.  _Is someone torturing animals?  Zack reached for the door as he and Ginny _

exchanged confused looks.  His gaze fell on dozens of cats running rampant all over the 

room with a bleeding Scooby chasing after them.

"Master, you've returned.  I did what you asked; I found your cats." Scooby said proudly, 

wiping some blood from a scratch on his cheek.

Dumbfounded, Zack looked around at the vast assortment of cats…Russell not being 

among them he noted.  Looking upon Scooby's beaming face; Zack had no idea what to 

say.

"Zack, what did you ask of him?" Ginny whispered, pulling Zack's ear close to her mouth.

"I asked him to find my cat Russell. You remember her."

"Had the house-elf ever seen your cat before?"

"Well…"

Ginny shook her head and took control.  "Scooby was it?"  The house-elf nodded.  

"You've done a fine job, and we thank you."  The house-elf bowed low enough that his 

nose almost touched the floor.

"Oh, thank you so much, Mistress.  Scooby lives to serve."

"Now, what we need you to do is return these cats to where you found them.  Can you do that?"

"Of course, I would be most happy to. Thank you, thank you." 

Ginny and Zack made themselves comfortable on the shredded sheets on the bed, waiting 

for Scooby to dispense with the cats.  Zack decided to tell her about his encounter with 

Professor Snape.

"Snape 'reads' my magazine!?" Ginny asked, disbelieving.  "High praise indeed.  You 

didn't happen to see which issue it was?"  

"I believe you were on the cover dressed in something purple."

"Ah, March 2003.  He has good taste.  Did you see which picture he was looking at?"

Zack rolled his eyes.  "I tried to see as little as possible, thank you very much."

Ginny laughed and looked lost in thought for a moment.

"Ginny?  Hello, Earth to Ginny."

"Oh, I'm sorry.  Must've drifted a bit.  You know I would have paid money to see the 

expression on his face…among other things."

"Ginny, you're unbelievable."

"Thank you." 

No sooner had the words escaped her lips Scooby showed up to take away the last of the 

cats, a pretty white Persian.

"Can Scooby do anything else?"

"No thank you Scooby, you've done quite enough for today.  I'll see you tomorrow 

morning," Zack said.  Scooby bowed and left closing the door behind him.

Ginny stood up and walked slowly way from Zack.  Once she was about six feet away she 

turned and looked at Zack, who was still seated on the bed.  "Now, where were we?  Ah 

yes, my cloak or more specifically, the removal thereof." Without any fanfare she 

whipped off her cloak to reveal a hunter green Merry Widow, complete with a matching 

garter and belt.  

Zack noticed a mini cat'o nine tails, whip, fuzzy handcuffs, silk scarves, and a riding crop 

attached to the garter belt around her waste.  "Very nice, but what's with the mini sex toys?"

"It's for the upcoming Christmas catalog.  I haven't named it yet, but it's for the 

_Dominatrix-on-the-go, if you know what I mean_._  Now watch."  She unclipped the whip _

off the belt, and it immediately grew to full size.  "Care to try it out?"  She snapped it, and 

Zack could see she was no amateur.

"Um, it's not really my style, but I'm sure it will be a big seller.  Now put the whip away 

and come here," he said hungrily.  

"You think Snape would be interested?" she said, fingering the handle and smiling evilly.

"Ginny!"

"It's those swooshy black robes he wears."  Zack just rolled his eyes.  "Ah well, you can't 

blame a girl for trying."  She reattached the whip to the belt, whereupon it shrunk back to 

its original size and approached him slowly, her stiletto heels clicking on the stone floor.  

_Where did those come from?  Her pale skin shone luminescent against the dark green silk; _

every breath she took caused her breasts to heave over the bustier.  Zack decided he didn't 

really care where the stiletto heels had come from.  "Now, what do you want?"  She 

reached him and straddled his lap.

"I'll give you one guess."  She smiled and Zack reached up, ran his hand through her 

silken red hair and kissed her neck with soft nibbles.

"Not so fast.  Why don't you lay back and make yourself comfortable."  Ginny sidled off 

of him and onto the ripped up sheets.  Zack turned over, crawled to the head of the bed 

and settled onto his back, a noticeable bulge in his shorts.  Ginny looked at the bulge and 

then into Zack's eyes.  She crawled like a cat towards him as Zack smiled and leaned 

back on his pillows.  Upon reaching his legs she ran the back of her nails up his calves 

and onto his thighs and then dragged them back down again.  Zack breathed heavily, and 

reached for her but she backed away, shaking her head and clucking her tongue.  She 

pulled his t-shirt out of his pants and pushed it up to reveal his stomach and chest.  Ginny 

flipped her hair over and let it drag teasingly across his midsection.  Zack leaned his head 

back enjoying the moment and when he looked up again…

"AHHH!" Zack screamed as Peeves face suddenly appeared not three inches from Zack's.

"Peeves?!" Ginny shouted.  "What are you doing? Get out of here!"
    
    "Does Zacky wacky have his dicky wicky inside Ginny winny?"  Peeves singsonged as he 
    
    soared backwards to the foot of the bed, where he hovered just under the canopy.
    
    Ginny covered up with the tattered remains of the duvet cover while Zack pushed 
    
    himself into a sitting position.  "Peeves, now is really not a good time," Zack said, 
    
    trying vainly to keep his anger in check.

"I thought Zack was my friend," Peeves said, his girth expanding.
    
    Ginny jumped in.  "Zack is your friend. Why, he was telling me all about you just a few 
    
    minutes ago."  Ginny turned to Zack and mouthed _Peeves is your friend?  Zack shrugged _
    
    his shoulders.  _Be very careful with him, she finished__._

Peeves noticeably brightened.  "Wanna play a game?  I know lots of games."
    
    Zack composed himself.  "Peeves, you can see I have a guest with me.  How about you 
    
    come back in a few hours and we can play a game then.  Okay?"
    
    "Okay!  I'll be back."  Peeves zoomed around the room sing-songing _we're gonna _
    
    _play__ a game, over and over until he disappeared through the ceiling.  _
    
    Zack and Ginny took deep breaths, waited for a minute, and then let them out, as it
    
    appeared Peeves was really gone.  

"Do you think we can pick up where we left off?" Zack asked hopefully.
    
    Ginny took a look at the clock.  "I only have about an hour before I need to leave, so we 
    
    need to get busy."  She winked at him and they started to kiss.
    
    _Rap, rap, rap_.  Someone was knocking on the door.  They stopped in mid-kiss and looked 
    
    into each other's eyes.
    
    "This isn't going to happen, is it?" Zack said, rubbing his left hand roughly 
    
    through his hair.

"Apparently not," she answered getting up and reaching for her cloak.

_Rap, rap, rap_.  "Is Ginny Weasley in there?"  It sounded like a female voice.
    
    "I think that's Professor McGonagall.  I wonder what she wants?"  Ginny got out of bed, 
    
    took a quick look in the mirror, made a few minor adjustments and went to the door.  

Ginny opened the door and greeted Professor McGonagall.
    
    "Albus…I mean the Headmaster told me I might find you here."  She looked 
    
    disapprovingly at Zack and spoke again to Ginny.  "I was wondering if you could give me 
    
    a hand with something."

Ginny looked back at Zack and smiled a wry smile.  "I would be happy to.  What 

is it?"

"Well, it's…I'd rather not…" 
    
    The professor clearly was not comfortable, and Zack guessed what kind of help she 
    
    needed, but was surprised given her age.  _You go girl._
    
    "No need to specify, I'll be right with you."  The professor stepped out of the room and 
    
    closed the door behind her.

"Well Zack, you know what they say about best laid plans…"
    
    "Yeah, they sometimes go to shit."  Zack walked over and gave her a firm hug and a nice 
    
    kiss.  "I take it once the term starts this kind of visit won't happen?"
    
    "One never knows, Zack."  She winked at him and headed toward the door, flashing her 
    
    undergarments one more time.  At the door, she turned and gave Zack a meaningful look.
    
    "Give Professor Snape my regards."    
    
    "You're bad Ginny, so bad."  Zack watched her close the door and went over to look out 
    
    the window.  

"Zacky wacky ready to play a game now?"  Peeves had returned.  
    
    Zack hung his head.  He turned to face Peeves and saw that Russell had come back into 
    
    the room.

"Kitty, kitty...we loves kitties!"  Peeves exclaimed clapping his hands.  Russell fled.

_Fine friend you are.  _
    
    "Let's play_ chewing-more-and-more-gum-until-we-choke," Peeves suggested pulling a _
    
    huge wad of already chewed gum out of his pants. 

_Who would have thought I'd be longing for the days when I was only doomed…_

&&&&&&&&&&&&

_My continuing gratitude to Juliane, Crow, and Lillith for their editing skills and_

_ patience with my "creative" use of grammar. _

_Please review!  Thanks._


	9. A London Adventure

**Chapter 9**

_Ah, more glorious sun!  _Every moment inside Zack had to dodge his newest friend Peeves.  If he had to play one more game of G_uess the Fart _or _Hide the Underwear,_ he thought he might go crazy.  The library was a safe haven as Madam Pince was no one to be trifled with, but he was getting a little bored with that.  The term started on September 1st, which was next Wednesday, but he still had an entire week before the other students arrived.  As it was, this Tuesday was a pretty nice day.  He went down and saw Hagrid's hut and met Fearless, his eight-month old Boarhound puppy.  The term "puppy" was a relative term as the hound had to be nearing 200 pounds, and she slobbered enough for three or four normal dogs.  She was a real sweetheart, and Zack was fairly sure that slobber would come out in the wash.    

Wednesday was also a banner day as he found his way to breakfast without incident.  However, he did overhear an animated conversation between Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall on the way back to his room.      

"Minerva, it's entirely inappropriate for him to be assigned to a house at his age," Snape said.

"Severus, the Sorting Hat will decide where he goes and that's that," McGonagall answered tersely

.  

"He shouldn't even have been asked to attend Hogwarts.  What was Dumbledore thinking?"  

"Severus, you go too far.  The Headmaster knows what he is doing.  If I were you I'd be spending a little more time preparing for my class and little less worrying about school administration."  Snape bit back a reply, spun on his heel, and stomped off, his robes billowing out behind him.

_That was nasty._  Zack was surprised that Snape kept his temper in check.  

Watching him walk away, Zack had to admit that the billowing robes were impressive.  

"Whatcha doin'?" 

Zack jumped, his shoulder impacting the wall in front of him.  "Ow!  Peeves, goddammit! Don't sneak up on me like that."

"Dangerous, dangerous Zacky, eavesdropping on teachers, but oh so much fun!"  

Zack rubbed his now aching shoulder, but then had an idea.  "Say Peeves, have you heard anything about me from the teachers?"

"Oh, yes.  Some think you will cause trouble and some think you are too old."

Zack digested that.  "What about Dumbledore?"  

"Peeves can't spy on Dumblydore.  He always knows where Peeves is."  

That was disappointing.  Zack sure wanted to know what the Headmaster really thought, given the obvious misgivings of some of the teachers.

Peeves suddenly shot through the ceiling.  Zack turned around and saw the reason why; the Headmaster was descending a flight of stairs nearby.  

"Zack, I see you have made friends with out resident poltergeist.  I believe that would be a first; you are to be commended."   

"Hello, Headmaster.  And yes, Peeves and I seemed to have developed a kind of camaraderie.  He is…unique." 

Dumbledore chuckled.  "That would be an understatement."  The old man became serious for a moment.  "Zack, do you have anything you would like to discuss?"  

Zack thought about it for a moment.  "I overheard an argument between Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall."

"Only one?"

"Uhh, well, yes.  They were talking about sorting me into a house." 

"Zack, I have to admit that I am concerned about that as well."  He looked sympathetically at Zack over his glasses.  "The Sorting Hat has never sorted anyone near your age, and I'm frankly curious to see what happens."

Zack had only given cursory thought to his living accommodations since his arrival, but listening to the Headmaster he was becoming worried.  

"I've decided," Dumbledore said, "we will sort you separately this Friday."  

"If you think that's best."  Zack felt relieved that he wouldn't have to be intermingled with a gaggle of 11-year olds next Wednesday.  Although, he was looking forward to seeing his niece again.  _I bet she will be strutting around like she owns the place._  

******************

Thursday was a very busy day at Hogwarts as the rest of the staff arrived en masse.  The quiet that Zack was used to disappeared into a flurry of activity.  He didn't see Peeves at all and assumed he must have been off pestering the new arrivals.  _He certainly is enthusiastic about his "duties__," _thought Zack, enjoying a rare uneventful stroll through the corridors.  _So this is what its like to walk a hallway as opposed to dodging one's way._   He ran his hand through his hair and smiled.  _Wherefore art thou now Ginny?"  _    

Another day dawned and bright sunlight flooded the castle and, Zack decided to take advantage with a stroll around the grounds to find a nice spot to a bit of reading.  The forest was out of bounds, but that was no great loss as he'd never been much of woodsman anyway.  He sauntered toward the large pond he and Hagrid flew over on their way in, admiring the sun reflecting off of the gently stirring water and the birds swooping over likely looking for some lunch.  He squinted at the bright reflections off the water and heard a rush of water.  A wave of water lapped onto the shore at his feet.  He shielded his eyes trying to see what could have caused it.  _Nessie?  You in there?  _He decided it was best to look for another spot.  The castle and the grounds looked magnificent and Zack reminded himself to tell Hagrid what a great job he was doing.   _Damn it's bright out here, what I need is some shade_.  He spotted a huge willow tree standing all by itself near the castle.  _Perfect_.  It wasn't the largest tree he'd seen; the sequoias and redwoods he'd visited in California were larger, but it was still an impressive specimen.  As he neared the he began to feel uneasy; shaking off the feeling, he kept walking.  

"Doesn't it seem odd to you that that tree stands completely alone?"  

Startled, Zack spun around and saw a man with tousled black hair and glasses leaning up against a nearby wall.  His heart pounding in his chest, Zack took a couple of deep breaths and collected himself.  "Shit, you surprised me."  The man got up and Zack thought he looked familiar.  "Have we met?"

"I don't believe so," he answered, extending his hand to Zack who shook it. "Harry Potter."  

"Nice to meet you, Harry, I'm Zack Flood."  Zack remembered the name.  "You're Hermione's friend, aren't you?"

Harry laughed.  "Well, I must say I've never been greeted like that before."  Zack looked confused.  "Don't worry about it.  Yes, I'm Hermione's friend.  Have you seen her?"

"Dumbledore told me she's in Madagascar retrieving some potion ingredients."

"That's my Hermione; she never lets moss grow under her feet.  Do you know when she'll be back?"   

  
"I think the Headmaster said Sunday.  Say, I was just about to sit under that tree for a spell and do some reading.  Would you care to join me?   Maybe we can chat a bit about Hermione and Ron."  Zack put a little bit of emphasis on Ron's name to see if it would get a reaction.

"So, you've met Ron as well."

"Yes, he has."  Ron said, appearing from around the corner.

"Ron!  What the hell are you doing here?" Harry asked, grinning from ear to ear and rushing over to hug him.

"Mum sent me to check up on the first year here," Ron replied, indicating Zack.

"First year!?  You're joke…oh you must be that guy I read about in the _Prophet._"

"Yeah, that's me.  But before you go jumping to any conclusions, that _paper_ is full of exaggerations and half-truths."  

"Sure it is," Harry said sarcastically.

"It is!  How can you believe that I…" Zack started to protest, but Ron cut him off.

"Whoa there, Zack. He's only teasing you.  If there's anyone that knows about the dubious nature of the _Daily Prophet,_ it's Harry."

Zack decided not to pursue that and instead addressed Ron directly.  "I'm not a baby, you know.  So you can go home and tell your Mum that I can take care of myself."   Before anyone could respond a rustling sound erupted behind Zack, followed by a loud squawk.  He turned in time to see the willow take a swing at a passing gull.  He looked back at Harry and Ron who were laughing.

"You can take care of yourself, can you?  Well, Ron, it just so happens that before you came by, Zack here was about to get up close and personal with the Whomping Willow."  

"Whomping Willow?" Zack asked. 

Ron shook his head, smiling at Zack.  "Had you approached it, we'd likely be pulling you out of the ground like a lawn stake right about now."

Zack looked at the tree and then back at them, wondering if they were kidding him.  "You're joking, right?"

"No we're not.  In fact, I doubt there is anyone else that has gotten as close to that tree as we have.  Wouldn't you say, Ron?" Harry asked.

"I still have the broken wand to prove it," Ron added and then laughed.

"This is obviously a reunion for you guys, so I'll just go and sit in the library where it's safe."  Ron and Harry looked at him.  "It is safe, isn't it?"  The two old friends laughed, and Zack felt his cheeks start to burn.

"Don't be barmy.  Hey Harry, you still remember how to get in the kitchens?  I could do with a snack after my hike over from Hogsmeade," Ron asked.

"Of course," Harry answered.  "You know, this would be a good time to show Zack around the castle."  Harry winked at Ron.

"Am I missing something?"

Harry and Ron laughed again.  "C'mon Zack, what we're going to show a few things that aren't on any maps.  Well, _official_ maps, anyway."

Zack enjoyed an afternoon of wandering the castles, listening to two old friends reminisce.  He took special care to remember the secret entrance to Hogsmeade and how to get into the kitchens.  They ended up in the Gryffindor common room where they gave him a tour and talked some more about old times.

"There's the fireplace where I'd talk to Sirius," Harry said sadly and then clarified it for Zack.  "He was my Godfather."

The use of past tense was not lost on Zack. "I'm sorry."

"I still miss him sometimes."

Ron patted Harry gently on the back.  "I know, I know."

Harry took off his glasses and wiped away a tear.  Before he put them back on Zack saw an odd shaped scar on his forehead, but said nothing.

"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to depress everyone."  Harry took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  "I sure could use a drink."

"Me too," Ron and Zack said together.

"But where can we get a drink around here?"  Zack asked.

"I've always suspected that McGonagall has a stash in her quarters," Harry said.

"I bet most of 'em do," Ron added.  "Can you imagine dealing with kids like we were all day and NOT having any liquor around?" 

"When you put it that way…" Harry started.  "Wait a minute!  Hagrid!"  Without hesitation they headed over to Hagrid's hut.

"If he offers you some treacle fudge, I wouldn't take a very big piece," Harry suggested.

Ron added.  "Yeah, Hagrid tries to cook but he's never seemed to grasp the concept.  I dunno, maybe because he's part giant he needs extra dense food."

They arrived and luck was with them as Hagrid was at home.  He was thrilled to see them all and sure enough had some Old Ogden's Firewhiskey hidden behind a stone next to the fireplace.   

"Now, ya won't be tellin' Dumbledore, will ya?" Hagrid asked, pouring everyone a drink.

"As long as you keep it coming," Zack said, taking an appreciative sip.  Ron and Harry agreed.

After several snorts of the potent potable, everyone was famished and ready for lunch.  Harry asked Hagrid to join them, but the giant begged off.

"Thanks, but I got a card game at the Three Broomsticks."  They all walked out and Hagrid closed the door behind them.

Zack's ears perked up.  "What kind of card game?  Could I join in some time?"

"Different games – eh, _Wicked Warlocks, Kindly Kings_, and sometimes even Muggle poker.  But, I'm sorry, the men I play with don' take too kindly to outsiders.  Besides, yer a student an' all; you'll be too busy fer that."    

"I'm sure you're right, don't worry about it. You go and have fun," Zack said.

Hagrid shifted on his feet and forced a smile.  "All right, then.  I'll just be goin'.  Great to see you Harry, Ron.  Come around again soon, okay?"  They nodded their assent and Hagrid walked off toward the train station.  

"Can we go to lunch now?" Ron whined.  

And with that they walked – a little unsteadily – to the Great Hall.  Harry told them a few bawdy jokes, but cut one off in the middle as they entered the Hall.  Apparently they were not alone.  A good number of teachers were seated around the tables at the head of the hall.  The silence seemed to last an uncomfortably long time.

Dumbledore stood up and beckoned them forward.  "Harry, Ron, Zack so good of you to join us.  Please, there is plenty of room."  

The tipsy group walked stiffly to the dais.  Zack let Harry lead the way while he brought up the rear.  _Drunk in front of the entire staff.  Great idea!_

They reached the table and Dumbledore greeted Harry and Ron warmly, as did the rest of the staff.  In fact, if Zack wasn't mistaken, the reception almost smacked of adoration.  Except for two people: Professor Snape, who looked like he'd just tasted something mildly unpleasant, and Vala Tillinghast, whose gaze kept shifting back to Zack.  _Or maybe I just need to get a hold of myself_.  Lunch was delicious, but Zack was preoccupied watching the interaction between people.  His earlier impression was confirmed as most of the table treated Harry with almost reverence.  Twice Harry scratched that odd scar on his forehead.

"You know, I could take care of that for you." Zack said, looking at Harry.

"Excuse me?" Harry asked.

"That scar.  I could remove it if you like.  I'm a surgeon and have done similar procedures dozens of times."

The last word echoed in the complete and total silence that followed his offer.  Zack looked around the table and noticed looks of disbelief and horror on the faces of everyone but Snape - who was smirking.  Even Ron was looking at him as if he'd grown a third eye in the middle of his forehead.  Harry's head was bowed towards the table, and Zack was afraid that he was crying.

"I'm sorry.   I didn't…I couldn't have…" Zack started, but stopped when Harry raised his head.  He was smiling and stifling a laugh.

"Can you just imagine the headline in the _Prophet_ if I did that?"  Harry laughed heartily, joined by Dumbledore and somewhat nervously by a few of the other teachers.  

Zack caught McGonagall's eye and she gave him a quizzical look that he couldn't quite figure out.

"Zack, you are indeed a rarity in this place," Harry said, lifting his glasses and wiping away a few tears.  

"Apparently."

"As tempting as the offer is, I have to respectfully decline.  Now, pass the potatoes."

Zack complied and the incident was apparently over as the rest of the table slowly resumed lunch.  Troubled by the incident, he wanted to find out more about Harry Potter.  If nothing else, he wanted to avoid being lynched should he look at him in the wrong way.  He nudged Ron softly under the table and Ron turned to him.

Zack whispered, "What did I do?" 

Ron picked up his napkin and made to wipe his mouth.  "I'll tell you after lunch."

Zack picked up his fork but put it back down; he'd lost his appetite.  The liquor was also wearing off, and he was getting a nasty headache to boot.  He spent the rest of the meal drinking water and trying to avoid insulting anyone.  He caught Vala's eye and she smiled.  _At least Vala still seems to like me._

But Zack needn't have worried.  By the time they got back to the guest quarters, both Harry and Ron were laughing about the incident.

"Any chance you guys can spend the night?  There are two extra beds you know."  

"Why not," Harry responded cheerfully.  "It's been almost seven years since I've spent the night here.  Whadya say, Ron?"

"I guess it'd be all right.  But I need to send an owl letting the Cannons know I'll be missing tonight's meeting."

That settled, the three of them made themselves comfortable.  The afternoon sun shone through the glass making the room warm.  Zack dozed and Harry suggested he give up and take a nap.  Zack drifted off listening to Ron asking Harry if he was going to try out for the English National team.  

_A gaunt figure with steel grey hair strode slowly across a huge marble floor.  The sun blazed through an open window, yet the figure wore a heavy floor length cape.  Impatience emanated from his hunched form._

_A door opened and a wizard with curly black hair flecked with grey walked in and bowed.  _

_"My liege.  You sent for me?"_

_"I did.  I have been waiting for over an hour."_

_The new man seemed unfazed.  "I apologize; however, the new wards you placed on the house have made Apparating problematic.  I had to walk the final mile."_

_"Is that a complaint I hear, Rosier?"_

_"Just keeping you informed."_

_The gaunt figure looked angry, but let the remark go.  "Have you seen the paper?"  He shoved a wrinkled paper at him._

_"Yes I've seen it.  Is there something in particular?"_

_"As a matter of fact, yes.  Read this paragraph." He unruffled the paper and pointed._

_"Are you asking me to obtain this item?"    _

_The gaunt figure smiled evilly in reply and the younger man left hastily._

Zack sat bolt upright and both Harry and Ron turned to him, concerned.

"Zack, are you ok?" Ron asked, getting up and walking over.

Shaking his head and wiping the sweat from his face, Zack looked at Ron.  "I think so.  I was dreaming, but I don't know what about."  He took a deep breath and let it out slow trying to get his bearings.  

Harry came over with a pitcher of water and a glass, which he gave to Zack, who accepted it gratefully and drained the glass.

"Can you remember any of it?" Harry asked.

"Two men talking, but that's all I can remember."  

"Are you sure?" Ron chimed in.  "It could be important."  

Zack saw the concerned looks on their faces and tried to concentrate on the image, but it dissipated.  "No, I'm sorry.  It's gone."

"Have you had dreams like this often?"  Harry asked, putting the pitcher down on the night stand. 

"Nothing definite, but for some reason I think I have.  Should I be worried?"

Ron and Harry exchanged a look, and Ron sat down on the edge of the bed.  "Not right now.  But just in case, I'd write down anything you can remember in the future."

Zack got off of the bed and stared off into space for a moment, his brow furrowed.  

"Hey, it's probably nothing," Harry offered.

_Probably, that's comforting_.   "What time is it anyway?"  

"Just past 6:00," Ron answered.  

"Wow, I slept for almost three hours."  He stretched his arms over his head.  "You guys want to get some dinner?" 

They all agreed that food was a good idea and started to clean up.  Zack was in the bathroom washing his face when he heard a knock on the door.  He peered out and saw Scooby bringing some pajamas and extra towels.  Zack watched as Ron tossed a set of pajamas to Harry and walked over to one of the beds.

"I really miss Hogwarts sometimes, you know," Ron said, putting a set of pajamas on his bed.  

Harry, with a far away look on his face, agreed with a gentle nod.  "Me too."

Zack felt like he was spying, so slipped back into the bathroom to finish cleaning up.

"Hey Zack," Ron shouted.  Zack dried off his face and poked his head out.

"Yyyeesss," Zack responded.  

"You know my Dad is coming tomorrow?" 

"Is he?" 

"To take you shopping?"   

"Is that tomorrow?"

"You didn't remember?"

"Should I have?"

"If you guys don't stop trading questions I'm going to curse you both," Harry said, fingering his wand.

Zack chuckled and came out to get dressed.

They headed to dinner, which was uneventful until Zack asked a question that was bothering him.

"If you don't want to answer I'll understand, but I'd be very interested in hearing how got that scar?"

For the briefest of moments a cloud came over Harry's face.  "I got it when an evil wizard killed my parents and then tried to kill me.  I was only a year old."  He proceeded to relay the entire incident and how the evil wizard was Voldemort and how he believed he needed to kill Harry because of a prophecy.

There was too much for Zack to digest at that moment but he did ask one question.  "How did you survive the first attack?"

"For the longest time, I was led to believe that it was because my mother died to protect me.  But a few years ago I found out that there was a great deal more to it."  Harry paused and took a drink of wine.  Ron and Zack exchanged a look, and Zack knew this was new to Ron as well.  "It turned out that the Order of the Phoenix knew Voldemort would likely try to kill me, so they each cast protection spells on me.  But the catch was that in order to keep the spells at full strength, they would lie dormant unless both my parents were killed."  Harry took a deep breath, drained his goblet of wine and looked over at Ron.  

"When did you find this out?" Ron asked clearly taken aback.

"Mad Eye Moody told me before he died.  He said I deserved to know the whole truth."  

They sat in silence for a few minutes, the food laying forgotten on the table.  Even though Zack didn't know several of the references Harry made it seemed kind of fishy.

Zack seemed to think there might be even more to it than Harry had just related.  "I'm not exactly an expert on Voldemort, but he sounds like an evil man."

Harry stared at him.  "He was a murderer.  He killed a sixteen year old boy right in front of me for no reason.  It's hard to think about it now but the entire wizarding world was in a panic at the very thought of him.  And from what I've been told it was even worse about the time I was born."

Zack sat silent for a moment letting the information sink in.  "And from what you said about the prophecy earlier, your parents knew you were in great danger."

Ron spoke up.  "What are you drivin' at?"

"I'm not sure, but…"

Harry cut him off.  "…is it possible they planned to die to save me?"  He paused.  "I'm afraid so."

Zack could only imagine the burden this must have placed on a young Harry, to live only because your parents sacrificed themselves.  "But wait a minute what about that Peter guy?  They couldn't have known he'd betray them, could they?  You said they were best friends in school."  

"That's the only part I'm not sure about; but from what I've heard about my Dad, I wouldn't be surprised if he knew Peter would betray them.  That would explain why he let Sirius back out; to bait the trap."  

Just then the main door to the hall closed and Dumbledore walked over to them.  "I trust you are enjoying your dinner."  

Zack started to speak up but stopped when he saw the expression on Ron's face. They all watched the Headmaster expectantly.  It was clear to Zack that Dumbledore somehow knew what they'd been talking about.

"It was your Father's idea, Harry.  He wanted a back up plan in case the _Fidelius Charm_failed."  The sympathy emanating from Dumbledore seemed almost palpable.  "We all hoped it would never come to that." 

Harry tried to speak but couldn't.  So Zack decided to ask something.

"Headmaster?"  Albus turned to look at him. "Is Harry right that this was more than a 'last resort' plan?"

With a look of resignation, Albus answered. "I should have seen it all along; but James never told us about Sirius switching with Peter.  It may also explain why he refused to have me as their secret keeper."

The three sat in stunned silence after the confirmation from Dumbledore.  He added with great regret in his voice.  "Of course, I cannot be certain, but I think they thought they had found a way to defeat Voldemort once and for all and save Harry's life.  And it did work…eventually." 

They sat for several moments no one knowing what to say.  Harry broke the silence.  "After all this time I guess I shouldn't be surprised.  Given the same circumstances, I might even do the same thing if it meant my life or my child's."

Zack had always thought of suicide as anathema for the havoc it wreaked on those left behind, but he was in no position to judge people he didn't even know.   

"I think after that we could all use a stiff drink," Dumbledore offered.  With a wave of his hand an ancient looking bottle appeared on the table and four rocks glasses.  He pulled out the stopper and even across the table Zack could smell the aroma of peat.  "This was a gift from a very good friend of mine – Warrego Antipodes.  It is only one of three bottles left from this particular year from Cardow, and I have two of them."

"I didn't know you drank." Ron said.

"Of course, dear boy.  My brother is a bartender, afterall."  He slowly poured each of them one finger of the extremely pale brown liquid.   

"Cardow?  Is that related to Cardu somehow?" Zack asked taking an appreciative sniff of the ancient scotch.

"It is one in the same, but prior to 1861 it was Cardow."

"So you're saying this Scotch is over 150 years old?!" Zack looked again at the liquid in his glass with amazement.  He took a sip and his whole body felt warm.  "This is better than sex."

"I'm going to tell Ginny you said that," Ron teased and took a sip of his own drink.  "But you may be right." 

The extraordinary Scotch and the infectious good humor of Dumbledore lessened the pain of the awful revelations made earlier and they talked of slightly less weightier matters like the upcoming Quidditch season.  

&&&&&&&&&

Arthur arrived early Friday morning – too early.  All three of them were feeling the after effects of too much alcohol.  They took turns getting cleaned up as Arthur stayed and told them of events at the Ministry.  He looked surprisingly normal in khaki pants and a button down burgundy shirt -- it was only the pink Converse court shoes that hinted at his true nature.    

"It looks like we might be starting up some raids again," Arthur said tiredly.  "But I am grateful that I won't be leading them, I can tell you."

"Raidsth?" Zack asked from the bathroom, a mouth full of toothpaste.

"There are some disturbing rumors of increased dark magic activity."  He turned to Ron and Harry.  "Well, you two know…"  Arthur stopped suddenly, his face turning beet red.  "I mean, you've certainly heard, or read something."   

_What the hell was that about?_

"You were going to tell Zack what a raid is," Harry suggested helpfully.  

"Of course – the raids.  It makes sense you wouldn't know Zack.  I keep forgetting you are so new to the wizarding world."  He took a deep breath and followed it with a drink of water.  "Ownership of dark magic artifacts is illegal.  I admit that we tend to look the other way for the minor things.  And since the downfall of Voldemort and his followers," Zack had to strain to hear the name when Arthur whispered it, "we have been a little lax with enforcement – at least in my opinion.  Nevertheless, there are still many powerful dark magic texts, relics, and talismans out there that in the wrong hands could be deadly."

Zack was getting nervous listening to Arthur speak about the "other side" of magic.  "I guess Voldemort wasn't the only evil wizard about then?  Of course, when you think it about it, it's just human nature."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked tying his boots.

"Just that all humans are capable of great good and great evil.  Why should the wizarding world be any different?" Zack commented, putting on a pair of well-worn blue jeans.

"Such a cheerful thought.  Thanks, Zack," Harry said sarcastically.

"Like this is a surprise to you guys.  How 'bout I take off my philosopher hat and stow it away."

"Would you guys hurry up? I'm starving," Ron complained, standing near the door.

Breakfast was hurried, and soon Harry, Arthur, and Zack were off to London.  Ron had received an owl at breakfast with instructions to check out a new beater candidate in Belgium.

"Never been there, but it should be fun.  You guys watch yourselves in London.  Especially you Dad."

"We'll be fine. You enjoy your trip to Belgium," Arthur said, ignoring the caution from his son.  "Now it's ten till ten, so we have a few minutes before the Portkey is due to activate.  Do we have everything?"

Zack checked his pockets and verified that he had his wallet with his credit cards.  "I'm all set.  Do you have any Muggle money Arthur?"

"I only have a few pounds," he said bashfully.  "It's Molly's way of keeping me from buying anything."

"Don't worry, Mr. Weasley. If you see anything you like, I'd be happy to pay for it," Harry offered.  

"That won't be necessary Harry – and please call me Arthur – you're a grown man now." 

"Arthur, where will be arriving?" Zack asked, checking his watch.

"I've arranged for us to arrive in room four at the Leaky Cauldron."  

"And where in London is that exactly?" Zack asked, having been there but not knowing geographically where it was.

"It's on Charing Cross Road," Harry volunteered.  He smiled at Zack's disbelief.  "I know, I was shocked as well."

"Perfect!  It's only a short walk to Oxford Circus where there are plenty of stores for me to buy some clothes," Zack said.  "There are also plenty of stores where you can immerse yourself up to your eyeballs in all kinds of 'Muggle stuff.'"  Arthur smiled with undisguised glee, and both Zack and Harry had to laugh.

"Okay, it's just about time," Arthur announced, pulling out a rather sorry looking bowler hat.  "Both of you touch the brim now - here we go." 

The world shifted and a moment later they were in a fairly nice hotel room.  Zack just managed to keep the contents of stomach where they belonged.         

"Do you ever get used to it?" Zack asked, sitting on the bed for a moment.

"It's always a bit disconcerting, but you do get used to it.  Or at least most people do."

"Mr. W…I mean, Arthur, there's a letter on the desk addressed to you," Harry said, picking it up and handing it over.

"I wonder what this could be?"  Arthur opened the letter and then smiled.  "It's from Bill.  He wants to meet us at 2:00 for lunch at some place called _Maroush _on Edgware Road.  Do either of you know where that is?"

Zack spoke.  "Sure, I've eaten there several times.  Very tasty Lebanese cuisine -- cheap too."  

Arthur looked at his watch. "It's a few minutes after 11:00 now. How long do you think it will take us to get there?"

"It's not too far, less than two miles I would think.  We'll just walk up Charing Cross Road up to Oxford Street and take it to Edgware.  Lots of great shopping along the route as well," Zack answered, starting to feel better.  "If we get tired, we'll hop on a bus or take the tube."

"Tube?" Arthur asked.

"The Underground.  It's the subway system."

"Ah yes, I've ridden that once.  Very crowded.  I like Muggles as much as the next wizard, but not all at once."

"It's not always that way, but there's no reason to chance it on such a nice day."

"Are we going to talk all day or are we going to go shopping?" Harry asked.

"By all means let's go," Arthur agreed.

Zack remembered that Covent Garden was close by and there was a cigar shop he liked.  "I've got a better idea; let's start out at Covent Garden.  There's a cigar shop there I like."

"That would be fine.  In fact, I could use a bit more pipe tobacco."   

So they headed out to the street and Zack was surprised to see that the people walking down the alley acted as if the three of them were invisible.  "Can't they see us?" 

"We're not invisible, if that is what you mean, but as we are near the Leaky Cauldron Muggles subconsciously overlook us," Harry explained.  "The Leaky Cauldron and many other magic sites have aversion spells, so Muggles ignore them."

"Fascinating."  

Once they were a few yards from the entrance, the people started taking notice of them again, at least to avoid running into them.

Zack thought about taking the Strand, but decided against it because of the constant flow of traffic and opting instead to take the most direct route to Covent Garden.

"There sure are a great number of pubs," Arthur commented, as they wound their way around the throng of fellow shoppers.

"Would you like to go in and get a pint?" Zack asked.

"Oh no, it's too early for me, but maybe later."

As they walked, Zack remembered coming here with his mother.  She had a curious habit of relating tidbits of history for many of the places they went.  He recalled that Covent Garden was for many decades the country's principal fruit and vegetable market, but was relocated in the early 70's due to the congestion.  Many empty buildings were left behind, but not for long.  The area was completely renovated in the latter half of the 70's and the first shops opened in the 80's.  Zack liked the quaint shops that made up the neighborhood, especially the tobacco shop – _Segar and Snuff Parlour_ – which he considered one of the finest anywhere.  Zack picked up a nice selection of Cuban cigars including _Punch_, _Cohibas_, and _Romeo y Julieta_.  Arthur did select a couple of bags of pipe tobacco, and even Harry bought a couple of cigars at Zack's urging.  Zack decided to go ahead and smoke a short one as they perused the shops.  He enjoyed the smoke, but was a little disappointed in Arthur's polite interest with the many toy & gadget stores that Zack led them to.  

"Is there something bothering you, Arthur?" Zack asked as they perused _Benjamin Pollock's Toy Shop._

"Not at all, this is very interesting.  In fact, I remember some of the toys here from my own youth."  He then went back examining a couple of graphite drawings.  "Orsino the Enchantress?   Hmmm, I remember her.  She was a Slytherin, I believe."  He looked up at the blank expressions on Harry's and Zack's faces.  "Well, that was many years before your time."

Harry pulled Zack aside.  "Is there an electronic store or something around here?"

Zack scratched his head.  "I made some color copies once somewhere near here.  Would that work?"  Harry nodded, smiling. 

They headed down King Street to Bedford where they found _Expocentric_.  Arthur's eyes lit up as he watched an increasingly nervous woman make a great number of color copies.  Arthur watched with awe as copy after copy filled the tray.  The woman hurriedly gathered up her belongings and left the premises, much to Arthur's disappointment.  The young man behind the counter didn't seem to care much.

"How can anyone draw so quickly and exactly?" Arthur asked having looked at the copier from every angle except underneath.  "They must be very small as well."

"Arthur, think of the copier as a high speed camera," Zack suggested.

"But wouldn't the creature in there get tired of taking pictures in a tight space like that?"

Zack shook his head.  "I'm no mechanical engineer, but I can tell you that there is no creature inside that machine.  If you could only see the inside work.  I know, we'll ask the attendant to explain."  Zack turned to ask the attendant who was busy on the phone and picking his teeth with a credit card.  "Maybe not."  

Arthur looked crestfallen.  "Arthur how about we make a copy of your face?" Harry asked.

"Oh, could I really?"

"Why not," Zack said, fishing some change out his pockets.  "Now Arthur, it's important to keep your eyes closed because a very bright flash is necessary for each copy, and it might hurt your eyes."  The coins clinked into the tray and Zack made sure the settings were okay – strangely enough _human face_ was not one of the preset settings – and pushed the copy button.  A quick flash ensued followed by a gasp of surprise by Arthur.

"Oh my." Arthur stumbled and Harry caught and steadied him.  "How fascinating."

Zack pulled out the copy and sure enough, Arthur's eyes were wide open and a look of pure glee on his frozen countenance.  "I see you don't listen to directions.  Having listened to Harry and Ron reminisce yesterday, I'm guessing you were in Gryffindor too."

Arthur turned and began to lecture a life size poster of some woman selling toner cartridges.  "Now you see here young man…"

"Arthur, I'm over here."  

Wobbling slightly, he turned a little to his left to face Zack.  "I was in Gryffindor, but that doesn't mean…oh, what pretty stars," he said looking all around.    

Shaking his head Zack led them out of the store and back onto Bedford Street.  He looked at his watch and saw it was almost noon.  Suddenly he thought of something.  "_Cadenheads_."

"Excuse me?" Harry asked holding lightly onto Arthur's sleeve.

"I just remembered that the finest Scotch house in London is rather close by.  But, damn.  I don't want to haul those bottles all over Oxford Circus."

"You won't have to, dear boy.  We can surely shrink the bottles to a more manageable size," Arthur offered, blinking his eyes and squinting at Zack.  "I think my vision is getting better."

Zack smiled.  _Ain't magic wonderful._  "You've made my day, Mr. W."

"Mr. W?  Hmm, I kind of like that."

They headed over to _Cadenheads_ where Zack picked out 10 bottles of various single cask Scotches to take back to Hogwarts.  Both and Harry and Arthur looked at him askance.  "It's going to be a long year, I expect.  It's best to stock up."

"I would be circumspect with that, Zack.  I get the feeling Dumbledore would frown on such a hefty supply of alcohol at school," Arthur cautioned.  "But I think I will take a bottle or two of the Glenmorangie 18 year, if you would be so kind."

"I'd be happy to.  Harry would you like anything?"

"None for me, thanks; I prefer vodka.  But, I would be careful back at Hogwarts and not because of Dumbledore."  Harry had Zack's full attention.  "If McGonagall or Snape find that in your quarters…"

There was no need to continue.  Zack knew it wouldn't be pretty.  The owner rang up the Scotch and Zack could see that he wasn't the only one happy about his purchases.  

"You be sure and come back anytime Mr. Flood.  I mean anytime," the owner said, handing back Zack his credit card. "Have a nice day."  

"You do the same," Zack responded.

The bulk and weight of his purchases made it difficult to walk out of the door.  But it didn't take too long to find a quiet corner where Arthur shrunk them all to the size matchsticks.  

"Cool.  I've got to learn to do that spell." 

"You will my boy, you will."

They decided to head over to Oxford Street so they wouldn't be late for lunch with Bill.  Packed as always, the mass of humanity was eye opening for Arthur, who struggled to wade through everyone.  Twice Zack stopped him from stepping in front of traffic.  They stopped in a few stores but Zack didn't find any clothes he liked.  He did insist they stop in _Clarks_ though, to get Arthur a proper pair of shoes.  Arthur ogled the many different varieties of shoes but seemed even more amazed at the different sizes.  They picked out a promising pair of black leather short boots and Arthur enjoyed the process of getting his feet measured.

After the salesman left them Zack spoke up.  "Everyone's feet are different sizes, Arthur.  I'm sure it's the same in…where you're from."  Zack almost forgot they were amongst Muggles.

"Of course we do.  But we just change the shoes to make them fit."  

As soon as Arthur finished the salesmen came back.  "I'm sorry but we don't have a size 43 in stock but I brought out a size 41 and a size 46."  He looked abashed as he left them to attend to someone else.  

Arthur just smiled and squeezed into the size 41.  He then took out his wand and whispered _Engorgio.  _The left shoe grew slightly and Arthur repeated the spell one more time.  He followed the same procedure with the right shoe until it fit.  Zack looked around nervously to see if anyone had noticed, but they all seemed oblivious.  Soon the attendant came back and asked if he could bring out anymore shoes.

"These will do just fine," Arthur said standing up.

The salesmen scratched his head and looked at Harry and then Zack, who both shrugged their shoulders.  "I guess I'll just ring it up then.  I take it you intend to wear them out?"

"Eventually they'll wear out I expect, but I hope it's not too soon."

"Ookay," the young man said, bewildered.

The three wizards left the store and meandered further up Oxford Street.  Zack decided on _Next_ clothing as a promising place to buy some clothes.  He and Harry tried on some clothes while Arthur wandered through the store.  Zack realized he hadn't been clothes shopping for years and made up for lost time buying several pairs of jeans and khakis, a dozen shirts, two new belts, underwear, socks, and anything else he could imagine needing.  Harry also bought a couple of items.  Arthur came back holding a Little Mermaid watch.  

"Look how the tail swishes to indicate the seconds ticking."  Zack chuckled and added the watch to the pile.  On the way out Harry noticed it was almost 1:30 and they still had a little ways to go to get to _Maroush_.  

"We better get a move on.  I'm pretty sure I know where it is, but it may take a little bit of looking.  Before we start going, would you do the honors Harry?"  They walked behind a newspaper stand and surreptitiously shrunk the packages.  The throng of people had only increased, and they didn't make it to Edgware Street until almost 2:00.  They found the restaurant almost immediately, as Bill was standing outside waiting for them.

Bill shook Harry's hand.  "Hello gentlemen, having fun?"  

The foursome sat down and ordered a cornucopia of Middle Eastern delights.  While they waited, they showed Bill the copy of Arthur's face and discussed various details about Bill's trip to London.  The food was delectable and the conversation pleasant, until Bill turned to Zack.

"About your wand…" A person at the next table looked towards them and Bill lowered his voice.  "I did some research on that cross-like symbol and I think I have a lead for you."  

Zack sat up and leaned in.  "Well?"

Bill smiled.  "There is an ancient Egyptian artifact with a very similar shape called the Rose Cross.  There is a great deal of mythos surrounding it and whether it even really exists.  It is supposed to be a talisman of great power, but as to what kind of powers I have yet to find anything credible.  Rest assured, I'm still looking."

Zack sat back.  "Thanks Bill. I'd forgotten you were looking into that until now.  I wonder what it means?"  

Harry took the last piece of baklava.  "I don't know, but it sure is interesting."  

They paid the bill and walked outside.  

"Well, what now?"  Zack asked stretching his arms and yawning.  

"I need to go the _Liberty_ and pick up some _Kiehls_ Abyssine Cream for one of my co-workers back in Cairo."

Arthur perked up "Oh?" 

"Relax Dad, it's not what you think. She's my aura reader, and I'm doing her a favor."

"You need to settle down someday."  

Bill rolled his eyes and led them towards the Marble Arch, and Harry suggested they stop by _Selfridges_ on the way, and they enjoyed the store, though it was very crowded and too noisy.  

Zack saw Arthur looking a bit uncomfortable.  "You okay, Arthur?" 

"I don't mean to be indiscreet, but I could use a loo."

"Of course, I could use one too.  Hey Bill," Zack called out and Bill turned.  "We'll be back in a minute."  Bill acknowledged them with a wave.

With all of the fantastic items in _Selfridges,_ Arthur was most interested in the automatic flushing toilets and the ice-cold water fountains.  In fact, he made every toilet flush once and would have continued had an attendant not urged him to leave.  All the while Arthur kept muttering, about the "genius of Muggles."

The group then headed off to _Liberty_.  

"What time is the Portkey set for Mr. Weasley?" Harry asked sipping a soda he'd bought from a street vendor.

"Six o'clock, and its just past five now.  But this is a new, improved model and can be delayed for up to eight hours.  I made the adjustment myself," Arthur proudly announced.

Zack patted him on the back.  "Way to go Mr. W."  The other two added their congratulations as well.  

They arrived at _Liberty_ with 40 minutes to spare.  Zack was never terribly impressed with this store and so he told them he'd meet them outside or a bit up the alley.  "I won't be far," he promised.

Zack wandered aimlessly up the strangely deserted alley.  "Where is everyone?"

"They all had something else to do."

Zack jumped at the voice that came out of nowhere.  He whirled and saw a fortyish man with slicked-backed black hair flecked with grey sitting at an outside café table.  He was rather lazily twirling a wand in his right hand.  

"I believe you have something of mine," he said and pointed his wand at Zack.  _Shit_! "_Petrificus_ _Totalus."_

Zack felt his whole body go rigid and he fell sideways, his shoulder impacting a chair before he landed face down on the ground.  He couldn't speak or even move his eyes.  Panic would have set in had he been able to even think straight.He felt the man roll him over, but Zack couldn't move his eyes to memorize the face of his attacker.  His eyes came to rest on the sign _Café Fred_.

"All too easy.  Now where is it?"  Zack felt the man pat him down.  He pulled out his wallet but tossed it away.  Anger creeped into the man's voice as his searching grew more frantic.  "Where is your damn wand, boy?"  

Zack smiled (internally anyway).  _It's lucky I find carrying the wand a damn nuisance.  _

"Since I cannot find what I came for, I believe some pain is in order.  But don't worry, I wouldn't do anything permanent, if you understand me," the stranger added.  

Zack could feel the spell starting to weaken, and he was able move his eyes in time to see the wizard raise his wand.  When Zack related the story later, he would tell everyone that it was the smile that did it.  If the wizard would have just cast the spell – Zack would have been in trouble – but the wizard did smile before…"_EXPELLIRAMUS_!"  The man's wand flew high into the air and he was knocked off his feet, flying backwards into a table with an umbrella.  Arthur had come to the rescue.  

He stopped to check on Zack, as Harry and Bill rushed past them to chase the man who somehow was able to gather himself and stagger off into the crowd on Oxford Street.  

"Zack, are you okay?" Arthur Weasley asked, looking at Zack's bruised face.

Zack struggled but was able to mutter through clenched teeth that he could barely move.  "Cast…a…spell, I think."

"What did he say?  It's important."

"_Petrificus Totalus_." 

Relief flooded the elder-wizards countenance.  "You'll be fine in 10 minutes or so.  It's only temporary."

It took only a couple of minutes for Zack to regain most of his movement, much to Arthur's surprise.  "You certainly recover quickly."

Soon after, Harry and Bill returned, cursing and out of breath.  

"The bastard cast an invisibility spell right in the middle of a large group of Muggles.  But, but I did find this," Harry announced, handing over a crumpled newspaper.

Arthur took it and read.  "Leave it to the damn _Daily Prophet._"  He turned it around so Zack could read the headline and see the picture.

_Oldest First Year Gets Ancient Wand_

_This reporter has learned that Zack Flood, pictured here, was the recipient of a wand more than 500 years old from Ollivander's.  The estimated value of this wand is said to be thousands of galleons on the open market.  This reporter wonders what this adult will do with such a wand among the children at Hogwarts.  Stay tuned._

"It looks like a treasure hunter then," Bill said, grabbing and crumbling up the paper and throwing it in a nearby trash can in disgust.

"I guess we'll have to stop by _Ollivander's_ on the way home then.  You can't be without a wand," Arthur said checking his watch.

Zack flushed a bit.  "He didn't get it."  

"Where in the world did you hide it?" Harry asked.

"Uh, my room at Hogwarts."

"Zack, didn't I tell you to carry your wand at all times?  It's your only protection against other wizards."

"Yes, Dad."  

"I'm serious Zack. You are a wizard now, whether you like it or not.  Promise me you will never leave Hogwarts without it."  

Zack's face burned at Arthur's chastisement.  "Okay, I promise.  But someone has to show me how to carry the damn thing so it doesn't get in the way."

Bill and Harry laughed, but Arthur was not amused.  "Maybe we should go to the Ministry, just in case?"

Bill rolled his eyes.  "And waste all day filling out paperwork?  Besides if they think it's that important they'll find us."  

Arthur looked at each of the group in turn.  "Perhaps you're right.  It would be a shame to ruin the rest of the day."

"I'd agree with that," a voice said from behind them.  

"I know that voice."  Zack said turning around.  "Mick, Barney!  What the hell are you guys doing here?"

"Hey Zack…hello Weasley," Barney drawled.  "Long time no see."

Bill turned a cautious, but knowing eye towards the duo.  "Hey Barney, I never thought I'd set eyes on you again."  

"That's what's wonderful about life…it's full of surprises."

Zack stood mouth agape looking back and forth between the two men.  "How?   I mean you guys…"  

Mick shook his head.  "Erudite as always, I see."

Zack rolled his eyes at Mick and turned back to Barney.  "Well?" 

"It's a long story mate," Barney started.

"Best told over some pints of ale," Mick finished.  

"I've got to hear about this.  Arthur, can you reset, er…delay our departure," Harry asked, seemingly as surprised as Zack.

"I admit, I'm a bit curious as well.  Give me a minute."  He turned from the group and then back again.  "Okay, we're all set."

They discussed where to go, and Mick made the decision for them.  "I know, let's head over to the _Swallow Street Bar_.  It's a little swank, but attracts a good bit of tail…er, attractive women." 

They hit the bar and started with some food and ale and, soon they were drinking in earnest.  It turned out that Bill and Barney had shared the affections of a certain woman and both insisted that the other lost out.  About an hour after they had arrived, they had just received another round of cocktails when a person no one expected to see showed up at their table looking haughty and appalled.

The man was a red-haired officious looking wizard of about 30, and he marched up to Arthur's chair.  "Father, I would have thought you would know better than to associate with _these people,_ right out in the open."

Mick turned to Barney and Zack.  "I think we've just been insulted."

"I believe you're right.  What should we do about it?" Barney said officiously.

Mick responded in kind.  "Another drink perhaps…as salve for the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune."

"What are you talking about?" Percy asked impatiently.

"Percy, so good of you to drop by!"  Arthur mumbled, finally taking note of the new arrival.  

"Who are these men you are with?  Please ask them to leave."

"Chill Percy. Have a seat, and we'll tell you all about it," Bill said.

"I'm on official Ministry business, and I need to speak with Zack Flood right now."

Bill bristled at Percy's tone.  "Percy, unless you sit down right this minute and have a drink, you won't be talking to anyone."  

He sat down, clearly annoyed and ordered an iced tea.  As the waitress walked away, Zack noticed that Mick got up and followed her over to the bar, whispered in her ear, and handed her something.   Soon the drink arrived, and Percy took a healthy sip.  

"This is a good iced tea.  Now, I need to talk to Zack Flood right now."

"Nice to meet you too," Zack said offering his hand across the table.

"Of course," Percy responded, shaking his hand stiffly.  "Can we go somewhere private?"

"These are all my friends and anything you want to say to me you can say in front of them."

"Yeah," Barney added.

"What he said," Harry chimed in, draining the contents of his glass.

Percy looked annoyed and finished off his iced tea waving for another one.  "This isn't something we can discuss in front of just anyone."  He gave the hairy eyeball to Mick and Barney who responded with smiles.

"C'mon, Percy, spill it," Bill said at the same indicating to the waiter that another round was in order.

"We were notified of an attack near Regent Street at 5:46 pm, and I've been sent to check it out.  Was there such an attack?"

"Interesting question. Ah, the drinks are here. Let's toast to good ole Percy here," Mick said, raising his glass. Everyone took a big drink. "Now what's this you were saying?"

"I'm heere tofind owut," Percy slurred, sat back and scratched his head.  "Whawas I…oh yeah I haveit on good thority that Zack Flood wazz attacked witha _Peshivikus Totalass_ curshe.  Now, I've been sen here on thish very impordant mission to find out why."  He took another drink and looked up at them with unfocused eyes.  "I'm feelin a little shtrange."

Barney interrupted and lofted his glass in the air.  "I have no idea what a _pertotal rificus_ is but I'd say that calls for another toast!  To the Ministry, - whatever that is-!"

"You there, stop listening!" Percy demanded pointing a shaky finger at Barney.  

A red-faced Arthur ignored Percy and responded.  "To the Ministry!"  The whole table echoed the toast and drank.

Zack and Harry exchanged a look and a private chuckle at the various states of drunkenness of their companions as the toasts continued for a good hour as Percy spoke less and less about his purpose and more and more about the politics at work.

"The Aurors think, they're SOO smart."  He emphasized his point by gesticulating and spilling a good bit of his drink in the process.  "But without me they'd be…"  Percy stopped when his gaze fell on Zack.  He stood up and swayed dangerously close to the next table.  "Wait a minute!  I want answers and I want them now," he slurred in a loud voice, slamming his empty glass on the table.

Zack noticed the bartender look over at them.   "Uh, Percy, you might want to calm down a bit."

"NO!  YOU WILL COME WITH ME!" Percy shouted and pulled out his wand.

"Percy no!" Arthur said and grabbed the wand out of Percy's hand, making him fall over.

"GIVE THAT BACK NOW!"

"Excuse me sir, you need to quiet down or I'm afraid I will need to ask you to leave." A rather husky man had walked up behind Percy and put a hand on his shoulder.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!  I AM HERE ON OFFICIAL BUSINESS!"  Percy swung around wildly, accidentally pushing Barney into a group of guys at the next table, causing several pints to spill over.  One of the men, a bald muscular chap, took offense, picked up Barney and swung at him.  Barney, having frequented bars all his life, knew how to duck.  The man went flying into the bouncer, knocking him into another table, upsetting it and all of the contents.  A melee ensued in which Zack, Harry, and Arthur hid under the table whilst their companions took part in the fracas.  Mick and Barney loved brawling, and it appeared Bill did too as he pushed, punched, and parried right along side them.  Percy had long ago been knocked unconscious, slumping on the floor against a fallen chair.  Soon a couple of bobbies had arrived, and sirens could be heard in the distance.  The fracas ended in short order, and it didn't take long for the cops to discern that Percy was the instigator.  The police escorted the whole group of them to jail with Percy still out cold.  Zack was unsurprised when he saw Mick and Barney outside the pub watching the rest of them being hauled off.

"It serves you right, you lawbreakers!" Mick shouted as they were loaded into the van.

_Bloody Bastard_.

At the police station, the officers took pity and didn't book them but instead just locked them in a holding cell until someone could come by and pick them up.  It fell to Zack to make the phone call, as no one else could reach someone by phone.  Fortunately (or unfortunately) his parents were home.  After a short lecture about his age - specifically - acting like it, they agreed to come down, and promised to have Zack's aunt contact Mrs. Weasley.

_Molly was coming.  _

The prospect sent a shiver up Zack's spine.  And when he relayed the news, the already chill cell seemed to become even colder.    Even Bill, with two black eyes and a bloody lip, managed to look worried.  Arthur was tending to a moaning Percy, but managed to look like a man about to walk the plank.  Harry just shrugged.    Watching them all, Zack couldn't help but laugh at the ludicrousness of the whole situation.  And it wasn't long before they all were laughing (except Percy of course) and talking about the events of the day.  

_Some time later, the door to the cell block slammed and a rapid tap, tap, tap came closer and closer.  Something petite, red-haired, and angry this way comes…_

&&&&&&&&&

Many thanks to Juliane, Crow, and Lillith for their invaluable edits and suggestions. 


	10. A Sorting We Shall Go

**Chapter 10**

Zack sat bolt up in bed, forehead glistening with sweat, and his ears ringing.

"_DRINKING…FIGHTING…ARRESTED! I AM COMPLETELY FLABBERGASTED…A BUNCH OF GROWN MEN!!! _

The volume and tenor of Molly's voice still echoed in his head. He had never witnessed such a display of pure rage. _Quite impressive, really_. He reached over, poured himself a glass of water and wiped his eyes. The clock had yet to strike 7:00 am. A gentle snoring echoed across the room and Zack remembered he wasn't alone; Harry was still here.

"_What if the Ministry had found out?! MUGGLE JAIL!?"_

Zack's own parents were annoyed but not angry – they knew Barney and Mick and so were no strangers to the police station. _Granted, it has been a few years._ Zack scratched his head, yawned, and lay back down. He almost nodded off when…

"Time to get up lazy bones," a female voice said in a mocking tone. Someone opened the curtains.

"Not...now...mum," he said into his pillow. But he rolled over and saw a figure standing between himself and the window. It was definitely not his mother. "Hermione?"

"Nice to see you haven't forgotten me." She turned her head, and the sun hit Zack full in the face.

"Shit!" He raised his arm to block the sun. "Can't you warn a body before you do that?"

"From what I hear you deserve it. Putting poor Molly through an ordeal like that…Muggle jail of all places." She shook her head.

"Oh, please. Harry has told me all about your _adventures_ during your time here."

She chuckled. "Touché. Speaking of Harry, where is he?"

"Don't know. I heard him snoring earlier."

"So are you getting up or what?"

"I don't know. Why don't you join me instead? It's nice and cozy." Zack threw back the sheet and smiled at her. Her cheeks flushed and she turned her head.

"Hey, 'Mione, what's going on?" Harry said as he walked into the room. Hermione turned toward him, raising her hands to her cheeks. Harry looked over at Zack and then back at Hermione. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Yeah. Hermione was just about to go to bed with me," Zack said.

"I…I…Harry…he…" she spluttered.

"Or should I stay?" Harry offered with a wink.

"The more the merrier, I say," Zack responded.

Hermione crossed her arms and pursed her lips. She was not amused. "Are you both quite finished?"

Harry and Zack chuckled, their mirth growing as they alternated looking at each other and Hermione. Finally her lips twitched, and she grinned at the two laughing men. "Can we go get some breakfast or are you two planning on making asses of yourselves all day?"

Zack wiped away a tear from his eyes. "You…should have seen the look on your face. It was priceless." She just stared at him. "By the way, you look great. The sunshine agrees with you."

"It is far too late for flattery, Flood. I'm going on to breakfast. Harry, you coming?"

"Sure. Uh, Zack?" Harry asked, while trying in vain to smooth out his coarse black hair.

"You guys go ahead. I'm going to catch a quick shower. I'll see you there."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "I'm certain we all appreciate that, thank you."

Zack winced. "Snarky, I like that. You sure you wouldn't care to join me? The shower has plenty of space for two."

Hermione stared with dead eyes at Zack. "Coming Harry?" She turned and walked out the door with nary a backward glance.

Harry snorted. "You're either brave or stupid, mate. She's killed two people, you know."

Zack blanched. "Has she? Uh, hmmm. I'll, ah…see you at breakfast then."

Zack joined Harry and Hermione a little while later in the Great Hall, where they talked about Hermione's adventures obtaining Octopus Tree bark in Madagascar. The octopus tree had been hidden behind a spell of confusion, and the tribal leaders refused to tell her the counter spell unless she brewed them a batch of the strongest love potion she knew. The Ministry had traded several flying broomsticks for access to the tree, but the elders wanted to amend the agreement.

Hermione absentmindedly stirred her coffee and took a sip. "The tribal leader was having a hard time convincing his first three wives he needed a fourth, and the love potion would force them to agree. Plus, the prospective fourth wife couldn't stand the sight of him. Can't say I blame her," Hermione said.

"So what did you do?" Harry asked.

"There were too many trees to try and guess, but there was no way I was going to help this…man exploit these women for his own…"

"Lust?" Zack suggested.

"Gratification," she finished. "So I got the tribal leader alone and told him I was through being nice. I told him I would turn him into a newt, and his first wife into a crayfish, if he didn't help me."

"A newt and crayfish?" Zack asked and took a sip of coffee.

"Crayfish love to eat newts." Hermione answered evilly.

Zack swallowed hard. "So what happened when he called your bluff?" he asked.

Harry chuckled. "Hermione, bluff?"

She smiled wickedly. "Once I reversed the transfiguration he seemed very eager to help."

"Uh…I see. Remind me to never make you mad," Zack said. She laughed and Zack felt a little weak in the knees.

"How is it they didn't force you to help them?"

"While they are wizards, they are untrained and uneducated."

"Certainly no match for the 'greatest witch of her generation'" Harry commented.

"Shut up, Harry." Hermione snapped self-consciously.

Zack smiled. "What's octopus tree bark used for anyway?"

"There is a new sleeping sickness making the rounds, and the bark has powerful stimulating properties we hope will work to counteract the illness. It's a fascinating story how…"

Zack and Harry were most grateful as the sound of footsteps interrupted Hermione's lecture. Dumbledore strode toward them.

"Welcome back, Hermione. I trust you were successful?" the old man asked with a smile.

"It wasn't easy, Headmaster. Would you like to hear about it?"

"Perhaps later. I'm here to get Mr. Flood. We have decided to sort him now instead of waiting for the ceremony on Thursday."

Harry's eyes widened. "Oh really? Is that…okay?"

Hermione spoke first. "Well, it's only happened once before. But that was in 1692 and the child was frozen by a spell but thawed out too late…"

Dumbledore interrupted. "Ahem, thank you Professor Granger. I hate to interrupt, but I expect the Heads of the Houses will be at my office any moment. Shall we go?"

"Can we come too, Headmaster?" Hermione asked, standing up and brushing away some crumbs from her shorts.

"I think it would be better if we kept the group small. Zack will tell you all about it later. Besides, classes begin in five days and you have a great deal of…" He never finished as Hermione bolted past them with a muffled apology toward the stairs to the lower level.

Dumbledore smiled and led Zack out of the hall to his office. Zack's mouth stood slightly agape as he gawked at the books, bottles, and many other unidentifiable items crammed into the room.

"So Zack, what do you think of my office?" Dumbledore asked walking around his desk and sitting down.

"Fascinating. The word 'packrat' comes to mind though."

"Packrat?"

"It's a Muggle moniker for a person who hardly ever gets rid of anything."

"I see." Albus scratched his chin and looked around. "If you think this is bad, I fear what you would think of my house." His blue eyes twinkled.

Zack heard a mysterious tapping from above and looked up to see a strange and colorful shape outside of the window.

"Excellent, I was hoping Fawkes would return today. _A__daperio."_ The window opened and a large bird with brilliant plumage flew in and landed on a perch next to the desk. "Zack, this is Fawkes. He is a phoenix."

Zack raised an eyebrow. "A phoenix - as in a bird that dies and is reborn from its ashes?"

"Very good, Zack. I see you have been reading your textbooks."

"Not exactly, the phoenix is a mythical bird…was a mythical… Let me start again. Muggles are taught that phoenixes are mythical creatures."

Fawkes stretched his wings, nibbled at a nearby food dish, and turned his black eyes toward Zack.

Zack smiled and shook his head. "Wow, so phoenixes are real. Next you'll be telling me that vampires and werewolves…are real." Dumbledore's grin disarmed Zack, and he knew that there were many more truths than could be dreamt of in his philosophy, so to speak.

A light rapping on the door interrupted them. "Ah, it appears the Heads of the Houses have arrived."

Zack's mouth grew dry. His eyes scanned a row of bottles and flasks on a sideboard. _I wonder if any of those bottles are alcoholic?_

The door opened and in walked Professors McGonagall, Snape (and his scowl), Flitwick, and Sprout.

Sprout was smiling and giggling. "Isn't this exciting, Albus?"

"Yes, indeed, Pomona. In fact, we are all here to bear witness to another first in the long and illustrious history of Hogwarts. No one has ever been sorted prior to the official Sorting ceremony, but given the situation, I felt it best. Does anyone wish to lodge a complaint? Severus?"

Snape took in a deep breath and let it out thorough his nose. "Can we just get on with it? Some of us have better things to do." He cast a withering glance in Zack's direction.

_Prick_.

Albus stifled a laugh, went to a bookshelf behind his desk, and took down a most disreputable looking, pointed, brown hat.

"Zack, if you would sit on that stool in front of my desk, we can begin."

Zack took a seat on the stool and turned to face the inquisition...er...the Heads of Houses. He rubbed his sweaty palms together and tried to work up some spit to alleviate his dry throat.

Dumbledore approached Zack, holding the top of the severely worn hat. "There is no need to be nervous. I am told the pain only lasts for a few hours." Zack's eyes went wide and he snapped around to look at the Headmaster. Undisguised mirth danced in Dumbledore's blue eyes and Zack forced a grin. _Funny_. "Zack, after I place the hat on your head it may speak to you." _Sure, why not_? "After a few moments, the hat will announce the house to which you will be assigned. Are you ready?" Zack let out a deep breath and nodded. Albus slowly lowered the hat onto Zack's head.

"Hey, you're OLD!" the hat said gruffly.

"Thanks, but 32 is not that old," Zack replied in his head.

"Wait a moment; I'm feeling something I haven't sensed in many years. Ah, now I've got it. Greetings to the heir!"

"The heir? What does that mean?"

"If you don't know, I won't tell you. Find out for yourself, if you're so keen to know."

Zack harrumphed. "I thought you were going to sort me into a house."

"Ah, yes. You are clearly a Ravenclaw, but your advanced age is a real concern, and I don't feel right assigning you to that house. Give me back to Dumbledore."

"Okay." Disappointed, Zack took off the hat and handed it to Dumbledore. The professors stood silent at this action.

Albus took the hat. "Is there something wrong, Zack?"

"He...er...it wants to talk to you."

"How interesting." Albus quickly put the hat on his head. After a minute or two, he removed the hat and gave it back to Zack. "Put it back on Zack."

Zack complied and the hat immediately announced "Ravenclaw…with an exception."

The professors murmured among themselves for a moment and then a smiling Flitwick came up to Zack and shook his hand. "You are a most welcome addition to the house."

Zack flushed slightly. "Thank you, but I am interested to know what the Sorting Hat and the Headmaster discussed."

"Yes, Headmaster," Flitwick asked, "can you share with us what you discussed? What's the exception?"

"I would like all of you to stay so we can discuss the arrangements. Zack, if you would care to go back to your room, I will come by and fill you in on all of the specifics in a little while."

Professor Flitwick spoke up. "Excuse me Headmaster, as the boy has been assigned to my house, I think it should fall to me to pass on this information."

"Quite right, Filius. In fact, this might be a good opportunity for you two to get to know each other."

That settled, Zack went back to his room and waited for his new Head of House to pay a visit. After twenty minutes of putzing around he took to opening the door every few minutes to see if the diminutive wizard was on his way. After he'd the door for the third or fourth time he was surprised, to spy his cat, Russell, enter the hallway from a secret cat door.

Zack stood, hands on hips, looking down at the grey cat at his feet. "Well, what have YOU been up to?" Russell meowed at him and looked over her shoulder down the corridor. Zack took a few steps in that direction. "Did you hear something, girl?" He heard a whooshing sound but saw nothing. _Interesting_. "Let's…" Zack began but Russell trotted into the room before he could finish. Zack spent the next hour on his back with a purring cat lying on his chest. A knock on his door startled the cat who leapt off his chest, leaving a small scratch behind.

"Ouch! Watch the claws."

A muffled voice from the other side of the door inquired. "Is everything okay in there?"

"It's fine, just my cat. Come in."

Professor Flitwick came in and scratched the top of Russell's head. She rubbed her body against his robes and walked out the still open door.

"Hello, Professor. I was beginning to wonder if I'd been forgotten," Zack said closing the door behind them.

The professor levitated himself into a chair and smiled. "I apologize for the long delay, but we felt it better to take our time so as to avoid any future…problems."

"As in how to provide sleeping quarters for a full grown adult with 11-year-olds."

"Exactly. Some of the teachers felt you should stay where you are, but others – including me – felt accommodations should be made within Ravenclaw tower." Flitwick paused for a moment.

"Would you like something? A drink, maybe?" Zack asked.

"No. Thank you for offering. I am curious to know how much you know about Hogwarts?"

"I've read _Hogwarts: A History_. But that's about it."

"That is a relief, I must say."

Zack chuckled.

Flitwick's face turned a light shade of pink. "Not that I wouldn't be happy to tell you all about the history of Hogwarts."

"I understand, Professor. Don't worry about it."

"All right. Class schedules will be dropped off in the common rooms this evening after the Sorting has been completed. Do you have any other questions?

"Where will I be staying?"

"Did I not tell you? How odd. The very reason I came here and I forgot. Hmm. Perhaps I should take some vitamin potions. What do you think?"

"Vitamins are always a good idea. But Professor, I'm still wondering…"

"Yes, yes. In short, rooming with 11 year-old boys is out of the question and displacing the prefects would be unfair. Unfortunately, there is no extra space in the tower to fashion a separate room, so you will be staying here for the time being. However, I hope to convince Dumbledore that a few modifications," Flitwick swished his wand around, "would do the trick, but he is not yet convinced. Now, do not be glum, I've been here a long time and I am sure we can arrive at some kind of compromise. Now there was one other thing, before I go I would like to give you something." He pulled his wand out of his robes and pointed it at the open window. "_Accio _gift_."_ Seconds later a box flew in through the window to land softly on a table in front of Zack.

"When will I learn to do that?" a wide-eyed Zack asked.

Flitwick smiled. "Not for a few years, I think. You have a great deal to learn before you can magically retrieve items. Now, open the box, if you please."

A wry grin on his face, Zack looked appreciatively at the tiny wizard. "Thanks – I don't know what to say." Zack lifted the lid off of the box and saw a patch with the Ravenclaw symbol sewn into a tremendously long blue and bronze striped scarf. Zack took it off and tossed it around his neck. "Well, how do I look?"

"Marvelous. Blue suits you, I think. I hate to gift and run but I really must be going. Much to do before Thursday, much to do. If you need anything, do not hesitate to contact me." Flitwick left before Zack could thank him again.

&&&&&&&&

Zack's wand case stood closed on his bedside table. Zack paced the floor, absent mindedly picking up spell books and then setting them down again. He walked to the window and stared outside. After a few minutes he took a deep breath and looked over his right shoulder. _This is stupid;_ _just open the damn thing_. He looked at the wand for a moment and then picked it up gingerly with his left hand, half expecting some kind of reaction. The door to the room opened and Harry walked in.

"What you doin' Zack?" Zack turned and Harry's gaze went to the wand. "So that's it, huh?" Zack nodded and sighed. "What the problem?"

"How am I supposed to the fit this piece of wood on my person so everyone doesn't notice it AND it doesn't hurt me?"

Harry laughed. "Is that all?" Harry absent-mindedly scratched his scar for moment. "All school robes come equipped with a wand pocket, so I'm guessing you mean your regular clothes. Hmmm... this might be a good time to practice some spells, and I can show you how to wear a wand at the same time."

They got out a pair of Zack's old jeans and turned them inside out. Harry took Zack's wand and looked it over, occasionally raising his eyebrows and pursing his lips.

"I've never seen a wand like this before. It feels…how do I say it…more _substantial_ for lack of better word." He handed it back to Zack. "No matter, the important thing is to fix the size of the wand in your mind."

Zack looked at his wand not knowing for sure why he was doing it. "Okay, I got it."

"The spell we'll be using is _Engorgio, _which is a growth spell."

"Hermione used it once when I was in the hospital."

"Good. So this won't be new to you. What I'm going to do is extend the pocket of your pants so it accommodates the size of your wand. Now here's the tricky bit, I won't extend the entire pocket just a section wide enough for your wand. Watch." Harry took out his wand and pointed it Zack's left pants pocket. "_Engorgio,_" he said in a level voice and a portion of his pocket magically extended several inches and stopped.

"That's amazing! How come the entire pocket…hell, how come the entire pair pants didn't grow?"

He tapped his forefinger on his forehead. "It's all in the mind of the wizard, Zack. Magic isn't hard, _control_ is hard. The secret is to concentrate on the result you want and then to make it happen. Before you start, you won't be able to do what I just did, but trying is how you get better. Ready?"

Zack looked at the altered pants pocket, at his own wand, and then at Harry. "Okay, but if the entire room expands, it's your fault."

Harry chuckled. "Stop stalling, I can reverse anything that happens."

Zack took a couple of deep breaths and focused on the pocket and tried to imagine the pocket expanding to perfectly accommodate his wand. "Okay, here goes." He pointed his wand at the pocket and said somewhat forcefully, "_Engorgio_." A stream of light impacted the pocket from his wand and the pocket exploded in size to fill half the room in a couple of seconds, knocking Harry off his feet, and it wasn't stopping. "Shit!" Zack flicked his wand repeatedly at the pants. "Stop – Stoppio – Stopgorgio..." _Great, I'm going to choke to death on my own pants._

"_Finite Incantatem!"_ A muffled voice said from the floor and pants stopped growing. "Great Merlin's ghost Zack, what the hell were you thinking?!"

Zack's face flushed. "I'm sorry, Harry. I guess I don't know my own strength."

"Obviously."

"Should I help dig you out?"

"Not necessary. _Reducio_." The pants quickly shrunk back to their normal size. Harry brushed himself off and looked amusedly at Zack. "Dare we try again?" Zack nodded in the affirmative. "Zack, try to think of magic as a water faucet. The spell starts the water, but it's you that determines the _flow_ of the water. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I think so."

They tried several more times, in fact, but while Zack improved he never did get it exactly right. There was clearly more to this magic "thing" than Zack thought. Harry suggested they stop for the day and he left to go talk to someone but Zack hardly heard what he said. Through a muddle of thoughts, Zack, bone tired, stumbled toward his bed, falling face first onto his pillows.

&&&&&&&&

The days preceding September 1st flew by in a haze of activity. The house elves were in constant motion, the teachers were busy with lesson plans, and Zack was trying in vain to cast one successful spell before Bethie got here. Harry was called away soon after their first lesson and Hermione looked too frazzled to be bothered. So Zack endeavored, on his own, to cast a spell that worked, but his attempts at lighting a candle were not very successful as evidenced by the many pools of dried wax that littered the floor.

Thursday the 1st finally came and Zack felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. He didn't even practicing and spent his time wandering instead. He stopped by Hagrid's hut but the groundskeeper wasn't in. Nervous energy coursed through Zack's body, and he decided he needed a good long run. It was warm and sunny so he decided to go sans shirt. His body complained at first, but soon fell into a rhythm. The idyllic surroundings made running a joy and he ran much longer than he intended. His body was soaked in sweat by the time he slowed to a walk to cool down. The hairs prickled on the back of his neck and he shivered.

_I'm being watched_. He scanned the area around him and thought some bushes moved on the edge of the forest. He meandered over to the edge of the forest and peered in. He saw Professor Tillinghast attaching a piece of paper to an owl and sending it off. _How odd_. She looked around and walked quickly deeper into the forest. Without thinking, Zack followed. However, the forest was thick with vegetation, and with the twists and turns, Zack soon lost sight of her. He stopped to try and hear where she might have gone but the silence was complete. He shivered. _I better get the fuck out of here_. He turned around but didn't even see a hint of where he came in. He looked for a trail and thought he saw one 20 yards or so to his right. Taking one last glance around, he made for the path. But as he approached it, he realized that the word "trail" was giving it far too much credit. Somewhere in the back of his brain a question lingered – _Is it time to panic yet?_ He walked for a few minutes, a cold sweat pouring off his body, and he flicked away flies with his shirt. He yawned mightily. _Damn, that run must have taken more out of me than I thought._ Up ahead he saw a moss covered tree that looked to be the perfect spot for a nap. _Just a couple minutes and I'll be raring to go._ By the time he reached the tree he was stumbling, his eyes nearly closed and his mouth hanging open. He was asleep almost instantly.

_A distinguished looking man with a well groomed van dyke and wispy grey hair on his head looked worriedly out an open window. He blew on his hands and clutched a worn heavy brown cloak tightly around his neck. The only light in the room was the fading sunlight. He sat down on a dark wooden chair and rubbed his hand vigorously on his heavy wool pants._

_The horizon reflected a deep purple and the worry lines on the man's face deepened. His eyes went wide and he expelled a deep breath as he spied a raven. The giant raven seemed out of place and flew awkwardly above the buildings, dodging plumes of smoke that spewed out of every chimney as far as the eye could see._

"_Finally." The man peered slowly out the window surveying the streets below. A torch lighter and a single carriage were all that he saw. He backed away and the raven flew straight into the open window and alit on a wooden chair. _

"_Well…what are you waiting for?" the old man asked._

_The bird shimmered a pale silvery blue and started to grow and change shape. After a moment a rugged man with unkempt black hair in brown leggings and heavy wool sweater sat in place of the bird. "Scheiße_, _it's kalt. May we not have a fire?"_

_The older looking man waved a wand and the window closed. He waved it again and the curtains closed, and with one last flourish he lit a fire in the tiny fireplace. _

"_Guten abend, Herr Doctor Fludd. I am sorry for my tardiness. The winds over the Channel were brutal."_

"_Good evening to you as well, Herr Doctor Maier. I still fail to understand why you refuse to Apparate? It would be much quicker, not to mention warmer." Fludd moved closer to the fire to warm his hands._

"_Perhaps for you Robert, but not for me. Let us not argue again. Afterall, I bring good news."_

_The old man turned back toward his guest. "She agreed to see us?"_

"Ja_…indeed. I spoke with her mother and on the evening of October 26, she will see us at her house, but we must be there after sunset and before the moon reaches its zenith. She was quite clear on that point." _

"_The day after tomorrow then, good. Do you have something for me?" Fludd asked._

"_Of course." Maier carefully removed a package from his inside his coat and handed it over._

_Fludd carefully unwrapped the package to reveal what looked like a flower but was shaped like a cross. He picked it up and passed his other hand over the multicolored object. The cross glowed a brilliant shade of crimson. "Ah good. I am quite glad to have it back in my possession."_

"_You should have seen her, Robert. As soon as she touched the cross, her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell back into her mother's arms. A moment later, Cassandra agreed to see us with those explicit instructions."_

"_It is amazing that such a powerful seer should be so young. How old did you say Miss Trelawney was Michael?"_

"_Not more that 10-years-old, I would say."_

"Zack. Time ter get up." A gruff voice sounded in Zack's head dissolving the dream.

"ZACK!"

The voice was much louder that time and Zack cracked his eyes open. A moment later his whole body shook and he was suddenly thrown into the waiting arms of a huge, hairy man smelling vaguely like treacle tarts.

"Wha' the fuck? Hagrid?" Zack asked groggily.

"'Bout time you woke up. I had to convince the tree to le' go a ya."

"Tree?" Zack asked, bleary-eyed.

"Yeh fell into the trance of the Slumber Tree. Good thing I found yeh. Don' take long for the tree to swallow yeh up."

"I think you can put me down now." Zack rubbed his eyes and shook his head to try and get rid of the cobwebs. He looked up at the disheveled but smiling giant and smiled. "Thanks Hagrid. How did you convince the tree to let me go?"

"Well I...er…." Hagrid pointed at the tree and Zack saw a noticeable fist mark about six feet up on the trunk."

"That sure would convince me."

"How did'ya come to be here anyway? The forest is off limits, yeh know?"

"I…thought I saw someone and I chased…it into the forest. I lost it, _and _myself for that matter. I grew tired, then saw this really comfortable tree…well, you can figure out the rest."

Hagrid cast a doubting eye at Zack. "I think yer leavin' out somethin', but it ain't none of my concern. You jes be careful, and stay out of the forest. Now follow me and we'll get you back to Hogwarts to get cleaned up. The kids come back today!"

&&&&&&&&&&&

Zack stood in the shower letting the cool water wash over his head and back. He kept replaying the dream in his head. The dream was so real and this time he remembered it almost completely. _Fludd…I wonder if_…

But his thoughts dissolved as an all too familiar voice wafted into the bathroom. "_Oompa Loompa, doom-pa-dee-do, oompa loompa_…"

"Hello Peeves," Zack said with resignation, getting out of the shower and grabbing a towel. "Nice song. Where did you come by it?"

Peeves zoomed around the bathroom spinning around and around. "Dumblydore sings it sometimes. _Oompa loompa_…"

_Figures_. "Shouldn't you be getting ready to douse the students with a hose or something?" Zack asked, as he quickly brushed out his hair and put on some deodorant.

"Dumblydore always bans Peevesy from feasts." The ghost zipped into a corner and poked at a spider's web.

_I can't imagine why_. "Still, I'm sure you have something planned for after the ceremony." Zack rubbed his face and decided not to shave. He splashed on some cologne and walked out of the bathroom with Peeves trailing him.

"I do, I do! Me loves teasing the ickle firsties! Ickle firsties, ickle firsties…" Peeves whizzed through the ceiling and disappeared.

Zack exhaled in relief, dropped his towel, and strolled over to his wardrobe. He heard a quick knock at the door, and turned in time to see Hermione walk in. Her eyes widened as she looked him up and down; then she blushed furiously to the roots of her hair and spun around.

"Aren't you dressed yet?!" she shouted at the wall as Zack sprinted to retrieve his towel.

"Obviously not. Haven't you heard of knocking?"

"I knocked! Besides, the door wasn't even closed all the way," she protested while averting her eyes. "Besides, you should be ready; the train has already arrived and the students will be here in a few minutes!"

"Shit, they're here! Give me five minutes." Madly dashing from dresser to wardrobe, Zack put on his school uniform, complete with a black robe and a pointy hat. "You can turn around now."

She turned and, still a little flushed, cast an appraising eye on Zack. He spun around for effect. "Now you look like a proper wizard."

"What would you say I looked like a couple of minutes ago?"

The door opened before Hermione could respond, and she and Zack both looked as Ginny Weasley walked in, dressed in full Gryffindor regalia.

"I hope I'm interrupting something," Ginny said, staring at Hermione.

"As a matter of fact, no," Hermione answered. Ginny raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. "Oh, come on Ginny, this is ridiculous. I'm fully dressed as you can plainly see."

"That's never stopped me," Ginny replied.

_Cat fight, cat fight!_ For a fleeting moment Zack wondered what a threesome might be like… "I hate to break this up, ladies, but we need to get to the feast," Zack said diplomatically. "However, I would add that I'm touched at this…"

"Shut up, Zack," Hermione said sweeping out of the room.

"Hi, Ginny," Zack said as he followed her out of the room.

"Shut up, Zack," she responded.

He looked at her with a quivering lower lip. "What'd I do?"

She glowered at him, chuckled, and hooked her right arm in his left and led him out the room. "So Zack, I see you've managed to keep all your limbs since I saw you last…as least, all of the ones I can see."

Zack laughed. "You want to check and see for yourself?"

She suddenly palmed his crotch. "Seems like everything is in order. Just to be sure, I think I should do a more thorough check later." She paused and then whispered. "Hagrid told me what happened earlier today."

"Great. Now everyone thinks I'm an idiot." Hermione, several paces ahead of them, turned her head slightly. "You just keep walking Miss Nosy."

Hermione chuffed, quickened her pace and was soon out of sight as Zack and Ginny chuckled.

"How did you manage to find a _Slumber Tree?_ I didn't even know the Forbidden Forest had one – not that I'm surprised."

"It's a long story. How about I tell you over dinner?"

"Okay." The bells chimed the eight o'clock hour. "We'd better hurry."

They arrived in the main hall as the first of the students arrived. Hermione was already at the head of the hall. The ceiling was filled with stars, reflecting the clear night sky. Ginny led Zack to a small table to the right of the dais. The stares of the students filing in made Zack feel a bit nervous.

"You okay, Zack?" Ginny asked

"Just tired, I guess."

"Didn't you sleep most of the afternoon?" she asked and winked.

"You're a riot. Actually, the sleep was anything but restful. I'm fine, really. But I have to admit I'm feeling out of place." He scanned over the room at the students and felt very old. "I don't see Bethie anywhere."

"First years don't come in until everyone else is seated so they can be sorted. Snape sure looks good tonight."

Zack looked up at the dais and saw the professors getting situated. Snape was standing, talking with McGonagall and Hagrid…and not looking too pleased about it. "He looks the same to me."

"Exactly."

"Ginny, just a minute ago you palmed my crotch in the hallway."

"And a minute ago you weren't flirting with Miss Granger."

"Touché." Zack absently mindedly scanned the room and noticed that the group of professors seemed a little confused. "What's with the professors?"

Ginny looked and shook her head. "I don't know. I'll go and find out; you stay here."

A minute later she came back with a frown on her face.

"What is it Ginny?"

"Dumbledore isn't here yet…and he's ALWAYS here for the Sorting. They are not sure what to do. Oh look, here comes McGonagall."

Sure enough, Professor McGonagall strode up the middle aisle, concern clearly etched on her face. As soon as she reached the other professors, they huddled together. The students gradually came to notice the odd behavior of the teachers and the absence of the Headmaster. The noise in the Great Hall lowered to a murmur. A side door clanged open and a bedraggled Dumbledore walked into the hall. The silence was complete except for the wind intermittently rattling the windows.

Dumbledore turned to face the throng of students and smiled a tired smile. "Good evening, everyone!" he said in a loud voice.

His greeting met with a few scattered replies and then, after a brief pause, the noise level increased exponentially as the students talked and pointed at Dumbledore. Albus ignored them as he took off his cloak and called Snape and McGonagall over for a quick discussion. Even from where he sat, Zack could tell that Snape and McGonagall were not happy with what they were being told. As the discussion ended, McGonagall stomped off toward the front of the hall with a glare at Snape, who looked like he'd just bitten into a particularly sour apple.

Zack caught Albus's eye as he walked slowly towards the dais. Dumbledore gave him a wink and tired smile, which Zack returned. Albus sat heavily in a chair against the wall behind the other teachers who all looked at him with odd glances. He waved off their concern and took out a small notebook and began to read.

"Ginny, is this odd or is it just me?"

"No, this is truly odd. I'm a little worried, Zack."

Zack grinned and squeezed her hand. "Oh look, here come the first years! And there's Bethie." Zack waved as the group walked by. "Hi Bethie!" Bethie glanced quickly at him, turned resolutely away, and continued walking up the aisle.

Ginny grabbed his hand pushed him into his seat. "Zack! Sit down and stop embarrassing the girl."

"What?"

"You can't really be that daft…can you?" Zack gave her a quizzical look.

"Um…"

"Men," she huffed as if that explained everything.

The group of 40-or-so 11-year-olds walked to the front of the Great Hall, where the Sorting Hat sat on a stool. Minerva McGonagall stood, wearing a remarkably large, pointed black hat kinked at the end, an odd mixture of concern and anger on her face.

"What is she waiting for?" Zack asked in hushed tones.

"Well, normally Dumbledore makes an announcement, but…oh wait, it looks like Severus is going to make the announcement."

"So, now it's _Severus_."

Ginny gave him a look and Zack chuckled.

Snape reached the podium at the front of the teacher's table. He glanced with distaste at Dumbledore who urged him on with a wave of his hand. Snape turned back to the students and glowered, waiting for the crowd to quiet down.

"Welcome to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I would like to announce that Headmaster Dumbledore has decided that I should preside over the welcoming feast and Sorting ceremony this year." The crowd stirred uncomfortably but quickly quieted as Snape renewed his glower. "I have a few start of term notices so stay silent. A reminder that the Forbidden Forest has its name for a reason, so avoid it or you shall likely die." As he finished the sentence he looked pointedly at Zack. "Now, everyone has likely heard that this is an odd year at Hogwarts as we have an unusually old first year student. Mr. Flood, please stand up so everyone can see you."

Zack felt his face flush; he cast a withering glance at Snape and then stood up with a smile and gave a wave. The group of students all looked at him like a crowd would look at a bearded lady. _I'm such a friggin' idiot. _"I'm…"

"That's enough, Mr. Flood. Sit down, you're not running for office."

Zack heard a few chuckles from the crowd and sat down. _Prick_.

"Professor McGonagall, please proceed with the Sorting, if you would, so we can eat."

Minerva turned and glared at Snape and then turned back to face the crowd. "Perhaps you forgot the Sorting Hat song, _Professor_," she said icily.

"Ah yes, the song. Proceed…if you must."

Zack watched Dumbledore as this odd drama unfolded. Albus seemed amused at the by-play of the two professors, but soon went back to his book and to drinking a mug of tea that appeared out of nowhere.

Minerva bit off a reply and moved the hat from a side table to a lone stool that sat in front of the dais and the group of first years. Soon the hat began to speak.

_'An ugly ol' hat your eyes may behold,  
But sight can be fooled, or so I'm told,  
I am both brilliant and wise  
So bother not with any disguise.  
Your mind I will read, front to back  
and decide where you go, for that is my knack ,  
Greetings all, for I am the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And your fate I will tell.  
Perhaps in Gryffindor you will go,  
Where live the brave and foolish,  
Or maybe Hufflepuff is your house,  
Where toil is a virtue and imagination a vice;  
Or into wise old Ravenclaw,  
where live the smart but cold,  
Or lastly Slytherin could be your fate  
who'd sell their parents for a nickel…and not get caught!  
So put me on! And do it fast as I'm tired and cranky!  
And just want a nap!  
Hurry up slackers!'_

The song ended and most students sat mouths agape although there was some scattered and thin applause lasting only a few seconds. Snape, however, had a wry smile on his face.

Minerva glared at Snape and Zack could see the muscles in Minerva's jaws twitch. She took a deep breath, glowered at Dumbledore, and then faced the students. "AMBOY, Duke!" she bellowed.

The entire group jumped backward at the bellow. Several students fell down and a few students laughed, but stifled it quickly. A pale boy with straw colored hair pulled himself from the group and hesitantly made his way towards the stool. Minerva waited, holding the hat aloft, tapping her foot. "No need to be afraid," she said in a softer tone. The boy, still unsure, did finally sit on the stool. Minerva placed the hat on his head and a moment later...

"Slytherin!" the hat announced, and the table farthest from Zack started clapping madly as the young man hurried over to his new house mates.

Zack whispered to Ginny. "Is it in alphabetical order?"

"Yes, except for the movie version of _The_ _Philosopher's Stone_."

"ARCHER, Genevieve!"

"What?"

"Nothing; yes, it's in alphabetical order. Why?"

"Hufflepuff!" the hat shouted, and another roar could be heard.

"Elizabeth won't be for a while yet then. Tilden."

Ginny nodded and then scooted a little closer to him. A moment later Zack felt a hand on his thigh.

"COOPER, Alice"

Zack ignored Ms. Weasley and looked over the new students. He made eye contact with Elizabeth and winked at her when she smiled at him. She pursed her lips and shook her head almost imperceptibly from side to side and turned back to watch the next student to be sorted.

"Gryffindor!"

Zack's eyes opened wide as Ginny slid her hand up his thigh.

"GEILS, Jay!"

"Ginny…," Zack whispered and pushed her hand away.

"Ravenclaw!"

"You're no fun," Ginny whispered hiding a smile. "Hey Zack, who is that blond professor that keeps looking over here?'

Zack turned to see Professor Tillinghast looking at him. She looked away when their eyes met. _Hmmm._ "That's Professor Tillinghast. She's teaching a news class - International Magic Studies."

"Pretty, and she seems to be particularly interested in you."

"Jealous?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"Well, maybe not. It's nothing, she's just being nice, I think," Zack answered innocently. "Besides I think you seem to have some groupies of your own," Zack said pointing out the several young men whose eyes were fixated on their table.

Ginny tossed her hair and flashed a brilliant smile, causing a noticeable reaction amongst the young men. "I hadn't noticed."

Zack chuffed. "Seriously, Ginny about Vala, I…" he paused for a moment and shook his head. "It's nothing."

Ginny gave him a quizzical look, but Zack brushed it off and went back to watching the Sorting.

"STEELY, Dan!"

"Hufflepuff!"

A few more students were sorted and then.

"TILDEN, Elizabeth!" Bethie stiffened at the sound of her name and then calmly strolled to the stool. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head…

"Slytherin!" it announced almost immediately. The Slytherin table cheered. She walked quickly over to greet her new housemates.

The remaining students were sorted, and Snape stood up. Before he could say anything Professor Flitwick attracted Snape's attention and walked over to speak to him. Snape bent down to hear what Flitwick had to say, sighed, and turned back to the throng.

"Before we begin the feast, Professor Flitwick _kindly_ reminded me that we have not announced that Zack Flood was sorted into Ravenclaw." Some applause started but Snape cut it off. "Enough of that." Snape looked over at Dumbledore, who rose from his seat.

"Let the feast begin," Dumbledore said, spreading his hands. The tables filled with all sorts of delicious looking food and Zack's stomach grumbled audibly, reminding him just how hungry he was. Ginny had already dived in, spooning a healthy portion of mashed potatoes and roast beef on her plate, all the while chewing on a roll. Zack stared at her.

"Wha?" she muffled through her full mouth, stabbing a chicken thigh with a serving fork and putting it on her plate. She took a drink of pumpkin juice from a goblet and looked pointedly at Zack. "Are you going to eat or what?"

"I guess table manners are non-existent here?"

"I'm using the utensils, aren't I?" she said, heaping a spoonful of beets on her already full plate.

"When in Rome…" Zack started and proceeded to take some of everything on the table and stuff himself.

Soon the clinking of glasses, ringing of silverware, and loud conversations subsided to a dull roar punctuated by a groan or two. More than a few of the students fought to stay awake as Snape finally stood and announced the end of the feast. "Prefects, please escort the first years back to their houses. Classes start early, so I recommend going straight to bed. Students dismissed."

Zack watched as a pretty young girl stood up at the Ravenclaw table and ordered the first years to line up and follow her out. She looked over at Zack and blushed as he smiled at her.

"Must you always be such an outrageous flirt?" Ginny asked.

"I can't help it if I'm irresistible."

"Oh, you're resistible all right." Hermione said from behind Zack.

"Ah, a sneak attack. Very cunning, Hermione."

She smirked. "That's professor to you."

"A thousand pardons, _Professor_ Granger, ma'am." Zack said standing and bowing low.

Hermione smiled. "So what did you think of everything?"

"Pardon me while I have a word with Severus," Ginny said getting up and walking towards the exiting professor and his black robes.

"Quite all right, really go ahead, don't mind me, I'll be fine, no worries…" Zack carried on far after Ginny was out of earshot.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked.

"Just being silly. Everything was fine, except Bethie left before I could talk to her…and of course Dumbledore. What was all that about?"

"I wouldn't worry about Elizabeth, I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to talk to her later. As far as the Headmaster, I do know that he was called away earlier today on some urgent Ministry business. But, I haven't heard any details. Frankly, I am a little concerned. He looks more tired than I've ever seen him," Hermione said looking back at Dumbledore who was now talking with Flitwick.

"I'm sure a good night's sleep will pep him right up." Zack said hopefully.

Hermione smiled wanly in reply.

"All right. There is one other thing -- Snape could have been a bit more…"

"Festive?" Hermione offered.

"Human."

"Zack, you'd better watch it with him. He can make your life hell around here if he wants to."

Zack turned and watched as Ginny smiled and laughed while Snape ran fingers around the inside of his collar and smiled weakly. Dumbledore had come over and shook his head in apparent agreement while shaking Ginny's hand. Snape noticed Zack watching them, abruptly said something to Ginny and Albus and left, his robes billowing, as always, behind him. Ginny shrugged her shoulders, said something to Dumbledore, who chuckled and then bent down and gave Ginny a peck on the cheek, which she returned. She turned and came back towards them when a gangly blond haired boy in a Slytherin robe bravely walked to her and handed her what looked like a magazine and a pen. She patted him on the cheek, and gave him back the magazine and pen after signing it. Zack thought the boy's knees almost gave out as he watched her walk away.

"So it's all settled," Ginny announced, sitting down.

"What is?" Zack asked. "And what was all that about?"

"I have fans," she said and waved to the awestruck boy who still stood clutching the magazine in the middle of the room. "A magazine shoot." Zack and Hermione exchanged blank looks and Ginny continued. "We have new line of clothes for the stylish young witch and wizard, and Dumbledore has agreed to let us use Hogwarts as the backdrop."

"What were you talking to Snape about then?" Zack asked.

"I'd like to use him as a model for some the new adult fashions."

"Why is Merlin's name would he agree to that?" Hermione asked.

"He hasn't…yet." Ginny answered raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Hermione buried her face in her hands and Zack laughed out loud.

"It's time for bed, I think; classes start bright and early tomorrow." Hermione checked her watch, stood, stretched, yawned, and bid the others good night.

"Zack? Didn't you want to talk about your experience with the tree?"

Zack sighed. "I do, but…just not tonight. Will you be here for breakfast?"

"As long as it's an early one; I need to be back at my office by nine am, and the walk to Hogsmeade is a fairly long one."

"Good, we can talk about it tomorrow then. Tomorrow," he moaned. The pit dropped out of his stomach.

"What is it?" Ginny asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Class…class with a bunch of 11-year-olds…tomorrow…I need help."

"How about I sleep in _your_ room tonight?" Ginny offered.

Zack stood up straighter and leered at Ginny. "THAT would meet any man's definition of help, I believe."

She laughed and arm in arm they walked back to Zack's room.

_Thanks to my beloved beta readers: Lillith, Juliane, and Crow. I also want to apologize to the readers of my story for the long delay in posting chapter 10. I had a great deal of writing to do at work, plus this chapter was just plain hard to write for some reason (I completely rewrote it four times). Anyway, I hope you like it and I want to extend a special thanks to all those who take the time to submit reviews._

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	11. Chapter 11 Happy Birthday

Chapter 11

_Let's see…_

_Charms – poor; Herbology – good; Potions - interesting, but smelly; History of Magic – yawn ; Care of Magical Creatures – eye-opening; Transfiguration – mass destruction; International Magical Studies – easy; Defense Against the Dark Arts –?_

"Watcha doin' Zack?"

"Oh, hi Bethie. How's tricks?"

"Tricks? You are so weird."

"Thanks," Zack said and scratched his head. "I'm doing a little bit of self-evaluation."

Elizabeth peered over his shoulder to look at the parchment and shook her head. "Kind of hard on yourself aren't you? We haven't even finished the first week."

Zack looked up and noticed a young man with straw-colored blond hair waving frantically in his general direction. "Elizabeth, I think an adoring fan craves your presence," Zack said indicating the young man.

"I'll be back in a sec," she said and walked quickly away.

Zack looked down watching a drop of ink splash on the parchment and let the quill fall on the table. Looking up he saw the boy gesticulating madly, several of which were in his direction. _This can't be good._ Zack groaned inwardly as Bethie came bounding over, her hair swinging back and forth.

"Is it true, Zack?" she asked breathlessly.

"Hello again, Bethie. Is what true?" Zack answered without meeting her gaze.

"It's Elizabeth, and you no very well what," she said lips pursed.

"Given the exaggeration that kids are prone to, I'd rather hear what the mad gesticulator had to say."

"You are soooo annoying sometimes," she said, rolling her eyes. "Well, Amboy Duke told me that Jay Geils told him that he overheard two third-years talking that they heard Filch yelling at McGonagall in the infirmary about having to completely reconstruct her classroom!"

"Oh, well it must be true…whatever it is you're talking about. Except for the part about Filch. There is no chance Professor McGonagall would allow _anyone_ to yell at her."

She stared. "Anyway, did you burn down the Transfiguration classroom and singe all the fur off of Professor McGonagall? I also heard Madame Pomfrey still hasn't figured out how to grow it back – the hair! Did Dumbledore kick you out? Did she curse you – McGonagall I mean? Did she…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa; slow down! Let me see, that would be…no, I don't know, no, and no. I trust that clears everything up."

"C'mon Zack, spill it."

"I don't think I heard the magic word?" Zack sing-songed. Elizabeth glared at him.

"Okay, I did have a little accident in Transfiguration. It's almost not worth mentioning."

Elizabeth smiled. "Almost? I'll find out anyway you know."

Zack's head dipped slightly. "All right, Professor McGonagall kept me after class for a little extra instruction."

"Ooooo."

"Let's keep our minds out of the gutter," Zack admonished gently.

She looked at him quizzically. "Gutter?"

'Nevermind. During class I kept obliterating the matches we were supposed to turn into pins…"

"I got it on the first try," she added with her nose ever so slightly raised.

"Of course you did; be quiet."

Elizabeth chuckled.

"Where was I…oh yeah, she knew I had a free period and it turns out so did she. So, we arranged to do a little one on one instruction. Unfortunately," he paused.

"Yeeesss…"

"She thought if we worked on lighting a candle it might be easier."

"Aaanndddd…"

"You don't have to be enjoying this so much, you know."

Elizabeth smiled.

"I tried a few times but the strength of my flame kept melting the candles. She told me to relax and concentrate. Anyway, I didn't know she could turn into a cat."

"So when she transfigured, you went bezerk and zapped her!"

"No, don't be a twit! I'll admit I was a bit surprised when she transfigured, BUT _I_ was fine. What I didn't count on was Russell showing up soon after for a visit." Zack took a deep breath. "I closed my eyes – trying to concentrate like she said – and at the moment I released the spell Russell pounced on the Professor and the resulting yowl blew my concentration." He sighed as he saw the unabashed joy on Bethie's face. "I wish you'd stop grinning like that – it's a little disturbing."

She didn't stop.

"The flame shot out of my wand like a flamethrower, completely engulfing the table I was working on and singed the Professor a _little bit_. Russell, as always, was unharmed – and quite proud of herself."

Elizabeth giggled and smiled. "Zack, you're the best!"

"I'm sure you're the only one who thinks so."

"Don't be so glum, tomorrow's your birthday and you haven't had _Defense Against the Dark Arts_ – Severus is so dark and dreamy…"

"Please, I just ate. One other thing, I'd be careful calling a Professor by their first name if I were you. It shows a lack of respect."

"You weren't there Zack – we _connected_."

"I'm sure. I'll see you later Elizabeth, I need to get to your beloved's class." He got up, gathered his belongings and headed toward the door.

Zack entered the classroom and sat in the back as had been his habit in his other classes. Being a few minutes early he took a look around the classroom. Odd, sinister looking artifacts were hanging on the walls and a huge dinosaur skeleton hung from the ceiling – looking a little worse for the wear. _At least after this class is over I will have sat through each class so I'll know what I'm in for._ The other students filtered in, some Ravenclaw students and some Hufflepuff ones as well. Soon, Snape himself made his entrance – _entrance_ being the operative word.

He breezed into class his black robes billowing out behind him.

"Wands away, books open, mouths closed." He ordered, stalking from the back of the classroom to the front. _What a drama queen._ Snape perused the classroom and as his eyes fell on Zack he smirked.

Zack smiled wanly back.

"Mr. Flood please come to the front of the classroom where I can keep an eye on you."

Zack groaned.

"NOW Mr. Flood. And keep your wand away. Accidents in _here_ will not be tolerated."

Zack gathered up his belongings and trudged to the front of the classroom. "Where would you like me?"

"Don't tempt me Flood. Use that desk over there," Snape said pointing to a desk that stood alone in front of the others and to Snape's left.

"Should I move it back in line with the other…"

"No. Sit."

Zack ground his teeth and took his seat. An unfortunate Hufflepuff first year showed up late with bandages on her hands. "I'm sorry I'm late Professor, I had to go to the infirmary because of Potions class where I…"

"Enough Miss…" Snape started.

"Taylor, sir."

"5 points from Hufflepuff for your tardiness."

"But, but..."

"10 points. Would you like 20?"

"N..n..no s..s..sir," she stammered and sat down with her eyes full of tears.

"No one is late for my class. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Professor," the class intoned.

"This is _Defense Against the Dark Arts _so if you are supposed to be in another classroom, leave. Now, let us begin."

The lecture stretched out interminably and the classroom was very warm. Zack struggled mightily to stay awake, but for some reason he couldn't keep his eyes…

"FLOOD!"

Zack snapped his head up and saw a furious Professor Snape glowering over him. "Sorry, sir!"

Snape looked to about to go into a tirade, but stopped himself and rubbed his chin in thought. "You know, the first class has always been a bit on the slow side. I think it's time to liven things up a bit. What do you say class?"

The class responded vigorously in the affirmative.

"Disarming your opponent is a very simple but very effective strategy. Does anyone know the spell for disarming your opponent?"

A couple of hands went up.

"Miss Archer?"

"I…I… think it is _Expelliamous,"_ the freckled faced young lady offered.

"Not quite, no points. The spell is correctly pronounced - _Expelliarmus. _Now, I need a volunteer…thank you Mr. Flood." Zack gave a start. "You will stand there," Snape pointed to a spot in the very front of the class. "Now, very carefully pull out your wand and hold it in front of you."

Zack complied reluctantly.

Snape smirked. "Class it is crucial when casting the spell to speak in a clear and firm voice and to point the wand at your intended target. However, it is also important to understand how to control the intensity of the spell."

Most of the students were exchanging confused glances. Zack's stomach fell.

"I shall demonstrate. Mr. Flood make sure to hold the wand still, we wouldn't want any accidents." Snape took out his own wand gave it a test wave and in a normal voice said "_Expelliarmus." _

Zack's wand flipped out of his hand like it had slipped. In fact, he was quite proud of himself that he was able to catch it before it hit the floor.

"You see class that was far too weak. Let's try it again. "_Expelliarmus!" _he exclaimed in a deeper more forceful voice.

Zack staggered under the blow and his wand flew out his hand and hit the wall 20 feet behind him. The students were riveted. Zack was feeling ill as he went to retrieve his wand. He went to sit back down.

"Not yet Mr. Flood. We are not quite finished." Zack took his place and gave Snape the hairy eyeball.

"Now I would like everyone in the class to try and disarm Mr. Flood. Let's start with you Miss Archer. Remember to clearly pronounce the 'r.'"

At first Zack was angry at being singled out, but he relaxed as each student vainly tried to disarm him. By the end he was rooting for at least one of them to succeed, if for nothing else to shut Snape up.

"Well, that has to be the most pathetic attempts I have ever seen. "I expect two rolls of parchment for next class on the disarming spell." The class groaned. "If you would like three rolls, I would be happy to accommodate you."

"No professor, thank you professor," the class murmured gathering their books and bags and leaving the classroom.

Snape turned his back to Zack and walked towards the podium in the back of the classroom. Zack winced as he picked up his books and started towards the exit. A few steps away he hesitated and looked back at Professor Snape. He took a few halting steps back towards Snape, shook his head, turned and left

"Goddamn I need a drink!" Zack said rubbing the back of his neck and almost dropping his books.

"Bad day Zack," Professor Flitwick said approaching him from an adjacent hallway.

"Hello, Professor. I've had worse You wouldn't have any whisky on you would you?"

"As a matter of fact I do keep a little for _medicinal_ purposes," he said with a wink. "Follow me." Flitwick retreated back down the hallway he had come from and disappeared behind an enormous arras of a dragon breathing fire at a familiar looking youngish boy with black hair. He mumbled an incantation and the wall slid open to reveal a rather large well appointed apartment. "Come in my boy; have a seat and relax."

Zack was shocked to find such a large room inside a wall, but then he remembered the physics bending wizard house he first went to. "This is a very nice place you have here, Professor."

"Thank you Zack, I don't have many students visit me in my private abode, but you looked so downtrodden I thought it would be good for you." He turned and walked towards what looked like a dining area. "Alastrina," he called out. "We have a guest."

"Filius? You just left a moment ago – what did you forget?"

A moment later a diminutive woman with grey streaked black hair, dressed in green robes covered in intricate braid work, came around a corner and Zack rose out of his chair.

"Oh, hello. I see you brought back a guest," Alastrina said sizing up the visitor.

"Yes, this is Zack Flood, the boy I was telling you about. He's having a rough time of it just now and could use a little pick-me-up," Filius said.

She glided over to Zack. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Zack. As you heard a moment ago, my name is Alastrina," she said with a tilt of her head. "Filius has told me all about your extraordinary adventures to date. You are quite a remarkable young man, I think." She smiled.

Zack flushed slightly at her words and cleared his throat. "The pleasure is most certainly mine madam," Zack said, bowing.

"I bet you're trouble." She winked. "For the ladies, anyway." Alastrina walked back over to Filius and took his arm. "You'll have your hands full with this one _a ghrá_," she said and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I'll be back in a moment with drinks for yeh two."

Zack spent a pleasant hour talking with Professor Flitwick and his wife; it was just the tonic he needed to get himself righted. "Great tea Alastrina, it really seems to have given me a boost. Did you have something special in it by chance?"

"I always do," she said with a twinkle in her grey eyes.

Zack laughed. "I guess I'd better get going. Thank you very much for the hospitality," he said getting up.

"It was our pleasure Zack. Let me walk you out," the diminutive professor said.

"Have a nice evening young man," Alastrina added while flicking her wand and sending the cups and saucers floating toward the back of the apartment.

"You know for a moment I thought you were really going to give me some whiskey," Zack said as he was being led through the door.

"I'm trying to help, but whisky, I think, would be somewhat inappropriate – at least this early in the term."

&&&&&&&&&&&

September 8th 2004 dawned like any other day in Hogwarts – cloudy. Zack woke half-expecting a surprise, but his room was quiet. He cleaned up and went to get breakfast – still nothing. All day long he expected something, _anything_, but it was a day very much like the last seven had been. He ate dinner alone and was going back to his room resigned that his birthday had been forgotten. As he promised yesterday he stopped by the transfiguration classroom to discuss with Professor McGonagall what went so wrong. _In excruciating detail no doubt. _ But, the closer he got to the classroom the stranger he felt, like gravity was increasing our something. At 7:00 PM precisely, as confirmed by the clock tower chimes, he fell to his knees panting for breath. _Damn_! He struggled to his feet an odd sensation of disconnectedness overwhelming his senses. A minute later the feeling disappeared all at once. _What the hell was that_? Clearing his head, he looked around saw nothing and continued on his way – but carefully.

"You're late Mr. Flood," Professor McGonagall snapped without looking up from her desk.

"I'm sorry. I felt this…"

"SURPRISE!" a group of people announced to his left. Looking over he saw a smiling Bethie, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Vala, Flitwick, and Alastrina standing around a table with some presents and a cake on it.

"Well, I'll be." Zack smiled broadly and chuckled. He looked over at McGonagall. "So you helped plan this?"

"Not really. I'm doing my part to protect the school. When I learned of this, I volunteered this classroom as you have already damaged it." Zack flushed. "We will meet tomorrow instead for our discussion. So enjoy your party."

"Won't you stay a little while?" Zack asked.

She picked up her books and notes. "I would but I need to go and see Madame Pomfrey," she said crisply and limped out of the room.

Zack gulped.

"C'mon Zack – watch this!" Elizabeth announced.

Zack strode over to the table and watched as Bethie lit every candle on his cake with her wand. "Show off."

"Well done Miss Tilden," Dumbledore congratulated her. "You mother could not have done any better."

"Thank you Headmaster," Bethie said her face turning pink.

Zack blew out the candles and then opened his presents. His parents sent him a book a Celtic poetry that had belonged to his maternal grandfather. Molly sent a remarkable vest and matching pants, with a message thanking him again for the Chanel knitting needles, and added a pan of fudge. Dumbledore gave him a _get out of one detention free_ card,

He said. "If I am not mistaken, and I rarely am, you will have need of this sooner rather than later," and gave Zack a little wink.

Vala gave him a green amber scarab amulet. "It has protection spell and is good luck."

Hagrid gave him a hand carved flute.

"Did you do this yourself Hagrid?" Zack asked admiring the handiwork.

"Yeh, d'ya like it?"

"Very much, thanks. I've always wanted a reason to learn to play the flute."

Elizabeth gave him a free tutoring lesson.

The party only lasted for about an hour, but it was quite lively all told.

"Zack, remember to wear your amulet – you need all the luck you can get," Vala said as she left.

Elizabeth was the last one there, staying back to enjoy her third piece of cake.

"C'mon Elizabeth gimme a hug…it's my _birthday,"_ Zack emphasized with a pouting lip.

She looked around noticing everyone else had left. Giggling she walked over to give Zack a hug. But, the moment his hand brushed her arm she started to shake and grabbed his wrist hard. Speaking in a voice not her own, she announced,

_The time of the heir is nigh! When next the moon turns as to blood, the heir must be where the key is hidden or lost will be his legacy. First return like the prodigal son; then let Debus be your guide. _

Bethie sank to her knees, her eyes wide but unfocused. Zack picked her up.

"I hope I'm not late…what happened?" Hermione announced as she walked in and then hurried to Bethie's side.

"I'm not sure, she went into some kind of trance, said something in a strange voice, and then fell to her knees."

"What did she say?" Hermione asked, brushing Bethie's blond hair from in front of her face.

Zack felt his face flush. "Well, I was concerned that…she…ahem…I don't know?" he ended sheepishly.

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "Try to think back. It's likely important."

"Hmmm. Something about a key, blood, and a guide," Zack ended lamely.

"Wha' happended?" Bethie slurred.

"Are you okay? How's your head? How many fingers am I holding up," he asked holding up three fingers.

"Three, and I'm fine. What happened?" she asked more clearly.

"You went into a kind of trance or something and then said something. You wouldn't remember what you said by chance?"

"No, but it sounds really cool. Oh well, if I can't remember it can't be too important. Oh hi Professor Granger," Bethie added noticing Hermione for the first time.

"Hello Miss Tilden. It seems you are feeling better."

Zack peered into Bethie's eyes closely. "You really should…"

"Zack, I'm fine. Really. I promise I'll go straight to go to bed."

She moved past the pair, and waved a final good bye as she rounded a corner.

"Hermione, don't you think she should have gone to Madam Pomfrey?"

"I'm sure she's fine."

"Wait a second, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I understood it was your birthday…happy birthday," she added to which Zack inclined his head, "so I thought I'd drop by for a piece of cake."

"That was nice of you, as you see everyone has left, but there seems to be some cake left."

They shared a brief moment together munching on the last of the cake, trading shy glances.

"Hermione." Zack began and then he took a step forward raising his hands slowly.

"Zack? What are you doing?"

"You have a rather large piece of ash in your hair."

"Oh?" She said relaxing and reaching up.

"It's kind of lodged in there, I'll get it." As he neared her, his nose picked up an interesting – and not unpleasant – mixture of aromas. He swallowed. "Damn, your hair is thick."

She chuckled.

"Got it!" He disentangled the gray/brown fingernail size piece of ash and showed it to her.

She peered at it closely. "It must be some remnant of the spider-tree bark I was working with. Thanks." She said looking at him and smiling.

_She definitely needs to be kissed_. He started to lean forward.

"Zack," she cautioned but didn't back away.

"It is my birthday afterall and I haven't had a kiss yet." He said with a wink.

Their lips met in a chaste kiss that quickly turned into something a bit more. Their arms slid into an embrace. A few moments later Hermione broke off the kiss and buried her head in his chest.

"Damn you."

"Thanks…I guess."

"You're incorrigible," she snuggled a little closer.

"It's one of my finer qualities – ask anybody."

"Zack?"

"Yes?" he said stroking her hair.

"We really need to find out what Elizabeth said earlier."

"I already told you that I didn't really hear what she said and she seems completely unaware of what happened." He replied.

"I have an idea how to "enhance" your memory," she said backing out of the embrace.

"Why do I think this is not about hypnosis?"

She smiled wickedly.

_Thanks to my betas Lillith and Juliane for all their help_._ Also, thanks to you that have stuck with me, I'm trying to pick up the pace. Reviews, as ever, are greatly appreciated. _

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